22. chinese aubergine with garlic sauce
The aubergine is fried until crispy and then cooked in a rich, savoury garlic sauce. This dish is works as both a side or as a main served over rice or noodles.
This garlicky, ginger aubergine is, to me, perfection. Especially when paired with a steaming bowl of sticky rice. I picked up a few of these Chinese aubergines that I found at the back of a local Haalal fruit and meat store next to my dentist - a rather random place to find myself. At the very back was a big selection of aubergines, green beans, chillies, and peppers. I don’t often find them in my local supermarket, so it’s really exciting finding them in this little shop (which also has a great selection of spices and herbs).
There are several varieties of aubergine, this recipe calls for specific Chinese aubergines. The ‘Globe’ or American aubergine is what everybody will find in their local store. More info here.
Aubergines can very tricky vegetable to cook. If you don’t season it properly, it will taste bitter or extremely plain. If you use don’t cook it long enough, the texture can remain hard and rubbery. Similar to mushrooms, aubergine’s soak up a lot of oil when cooking, which can mean it’s very easy to over oil them.
To prevent them from soaking so much oil, use the salt method.
Spread the sliced aubergine on a towel.
Sprinkle salt on both surfaces of the sliced aubergine.
Allow to rest for 45-60 minutes.
Pat each surface dry. Don’t rinse.
Alternatively…
Place the aubergine in a large bowl and add water to cover.
Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, mix well.
Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes.
Drain and pat dry.
Ingredients
2 or three Chinese long eggplant , chopped to bite-size pieces.
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or all purpose flour)
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (have extra, just in case)
2 teaspoon ginger, minced
6 or 7 cloves garlic, minced
Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch (or all purpose flour)
Method
Do one of the two salt methods (stated above).
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, mix well.
Sprinkle the aubergine with 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or plain flour) and mix by hand, until it is evenly coated.
Add the oil to a big nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat until hot. Aubergine soak up a lot of oil, so have extra on hand so you don’t burn your pan.
Spread aubergine across the bottom of the pan without overlapping. Cook the aubergine one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 8 to 10 minutes in total.
Turn the heat down a little bit, push the aubergine to one side of the pan, add the minced garlic and ginger. Add a drizzle of oil if necessary. Stir a few times until fragrant. Mix with the aubergine.
Mix the sauce again until cornstarch (or plain flour) is fully dissolved and pour it over the eggplant. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a big plate.
Serve hot as a side or as main over steamed rice or noodles.