Berenjena con cerdo guisada (pork and eggplant) is a rich, flavorful, curry-like dish that is very popular in the Dominican Republic. With tender braised pork and flavorful eggplant, this is the kind of dish that makes your meal special, and everyone go for second servings.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Sep 19, 2013
Why we ❤️ it
I may not be an anthropology expert, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that a country's socio-economic situation must influence its culinary culture. To me, it seems self-evident. This would explain why dishes like this Berenjenas con cerdo, Berenjena guisada), and other similar ones are so popular in our country.
Meat is expensive, adding vegetables to meat dishes means dishes that are filling, and don't require as much meat. This practice of "rendir", or bulking out our meat dishes, is something we've written about before.
Versiones
Another way to prepare this dish is with roasted eggplants, as we do in the Roasted eggplant with egg. You can try combining both recipes to roast the eggplants before adding the pork.
It can also be made with longaniza or smoked pork chops.
If eggplants are not to your liking, try our recipe for braised pork (Puerco guisado) without eggplants. Wonderful and easier to make.
Berenjena guisada con cerdo (braised pork and eggplant).
Serving suggestions
Some Arroz blanco (white rice), Guandules guisados, and Dominican avocado are my preferred sides for this dish. I also love Arepitas de maíz and Arañitas de platano.
Top tips
- Making it spicy: I don't mention it in the recipe, but we prefer this dish spicy; although the original dish does not contain spicy peppers, I add them at home. If you enjoy spicy food, just add one Scotch bonnet pepper to it; it will put hairs on your chest. Proceed with caution.
- Carrots: One addition I have made, which is not found in the original dish, is carrots. I love carrots and will use any excuse to add them to food. You can leave them out if you prefer.
- Without eggplants: If eggplants are not to your liking, try our recipe for cerdo guisado without eggplant. Wonderful and easier to make.
About this recipe
This is a very standard Dominican recipe, although in some homes, it can be made with roasted eggplants, or like in this recipe.
How do you prefer this dish? Do you make it at home? Let me know in the comments.
Video
Recipe
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Berenjena con Cerdo [Video+Recipe] Braised Pork and Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork blade chops, [0.48 kg] (or any cut for braising) cut into small pieces
- 1½ teaspoon salt, (or more to taste), divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper , freshly-cracked, or ground (or more to taste), divided
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil, (peanut, soy or corn)
- 2 cups water, (you may need less or more)
- 1 large carrot, cubed
- 1 large red onion, cubed
- 2 pound eggplant , (large) [0.9 kg] cut into small pieces
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 3 cups plum tomato, diced
- ½ teaspoon oregano, (fresh leaves)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
Instructions
1. Seasoning pork
Season pork with a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper.
2. Browning
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add pork and brown. Add 3 tablespoons of water and simmer covered over low heat.
3. Braising
- Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the meat is tender, stirring and adding water by tablespoons as it becomes necessary to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom.
4. Cooking vegetables
- Stir in the carrots and simmer some more, adding water as it becomes necessary so the meat does not burn. Let all the liquid evaporate. Add the onions, cook stirring until the onions become translucent. Stir in eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, oregano, and garlic. Add 3 tablespoon of water and simmer covered over low heat until the vegetables are cooked through. Stir and add water as it becomes necessary (there should be some sauce in it). Season with salt to taste.
5. Serving
- Serve with white rice and salad or avocado.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More eggplant recipes
We have a fairly large collection of eggplant recipes, since eggplants are very popular in our country. Don't miss our Berenjena guisada, and Torrejas de berenjenas, and more.
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