October 23, 2006
Braised Eggplant Recipe
I have to say I am not really a great fan of eggplants (also called aubergine or brinjal). It’s just like okra (also called ladies’ finger), the texture of a cooked eggplant dish is a bit slimy.
The best eggplant dish I tried was cooked with sambal belachan (as found in Nasi Padang, an Indonesian dish), but that’s just too complicated to prepare because of all the spices and ingredients required.
So I searched around for another eggplant recipe I can try, apart from the first one (stir-fried eggplant with minced pork) which I managed quite successfully.
Then I found ChineseFoodDIY.
The recipes are simple to prepare and the best part is that the ingredients are used in most of the recipes, so I won’t be worried about “Oh… what am I going to use my bottle of sesame oil for next?” or “Oh goodness, you mean I am buying this bottle of spice just for this dish?”
Take a look at this:
Ingredients:
- 9 oz (250 g) eggplants
- 9 oz (250 ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp scallions, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour) dissolved in 2 tbsp water
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Method:
1. Peel the eggplant and cut into slices about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Score the slices on one side about 1/8 inch (3 mm) deep and cut into 1 1/4 inch (3 cm) strips.
2. Heat the oil in wok to 400oF(205oC) or until a piece of scallion green or ginger moves quickly when tossed into the oil and a haze appears above the oil surface. Add the eggplant and deep-fry until brown. Remove and drain well.
3. Blend the soy sauce, salt, scallions, ginger, the cornstarch-water mixture and 5 additional tsp water into a sauce.
4. Pour all but 2 tsp of the oil from the wok. Heat over high heat, until the oil surface ripples. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the eggplant strips and the sauce. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Sprinkle with the sesame oil, remove, and serve.
It’s easy, isn’t it?
Bite This!
More recipes:
Braised Dark Soy Sauce Pork Belly
My Singapore Food Cravings (4): Kway Chap
Chicken Recipe (3) - Braised Oyster Sauce Chicken
Subscribe to feed
October 9th, 2007 at 7:38 am
[…] I always liked the way over-cooked eggplant melts into the sauce of a Chinese braised or stir-fry dish (which, by the way, if you’re looking for a recipe for, one can be found here). The range of sliminess to meatiness plus the texture of its silken skin is fascinating, if slightly weird. Therefore, I decided to mash up my eggplant for this baba ghanoush with the skins (ooh! the scandal!). What would happen? Will it turn purple? Leave unpleasant things in my mouth? […]