Mapo Eggplant is a mashup of Sichuan spicy eggplant (鱼香茄子 - Yú xiāng qiézi) and Japanese-style Mapo Tofu (マーボー豆腐). The eggplant is usually flash-fried before being cooked in a savory and mildly spicy sauce that's similar to the one used for Mapo Tofu. It's a staple of Wafu-Chuka, or Japanese-style Chinese cuisine, and was popularized in the 1980s by a few brands which began to sell instant sauces that could be combined with stir-fried meat and eggplant to make the dish.