Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Spicy Eggplant


Eggplants are so pretty raw, but after you cook them, they're one of the most unappetizing looking foods out there. And using a phone to take the picture because my camera was out of batteries and I couldn't find the charger doesn't help matters either. But it's the flavor that's more important, right? And with this dish, the flavor was definitely there!


Ingredients:
- Eggplants (I like using the thinner Japanese style ones)

- Ground meat (pork or turkey)
- Enoki mushrooms (totally optional, but I love the texture of these mushrooms)
- Garlic

- Chili sauce

Soy sauce

- Oil

Directions:

- Slice the eggplant into wedges about 2-3 inches long. The thinner you cut them, the faster they'll cook.

- Finely chop the garlic.

- Heat some oil in a pan or wok.
- Add the garlic and stir it for a few seconds until it's fragrant.

- Add the ground meat and some soy.
- Cook the meat, breaking it up as you go and then remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- To cook the eggplant, you can either deep fry it (faster, crispier, tastier and prettier, but not as healthy) or "boil" it.

- To deep fry, heat a lot of oil in the wok, toss the eggplant in (you may want to do this in batches to keep the oil hot) and keep the eggplant moving until it's cooked through.

- To "boil" it, just add the eggplant to the wok with some soy sauce and water. Keep the stirring the eggplant until it's cooked through, adding more water as necessary.

- Add the meat back in with the eggplant, add chili sauce and the enoki mushrooms and stir until everything is well combined and the mushrooms are cooked. It shouldn't take very long at all.
- Serve it over a bed of rice.

10 comments:

MaryBeth said...

I have never had eggplant before but this really looks very good....I know that coming from the girl who is not fan of veggies.

Joanne said...

Isn't it so sad that something so delicious looks so...brown? I definitely want to make this though..eggplant is a weakness of mine.

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

I seldom cook eggplants at home, kids dont appreciate this, but I like eggplants, I must cook for myself one day. You eggplant dish look delicious!

Claudia said...

Eggplants are a thing of wonder. They are not here to photograph beautifull! The dish is packed wth flavor and am bookmarking it.

tasteofbeirut said...

We have a similar dish in lebanese kitchens but without the soy of course; love eggplants but it did take a while for that feeling to develop/

pigpigscorner said...

I know what you mean, they are a mess after cooking! But oh so yummy!

Reeni said...

Eggplants do look kind of funky after you cook them. But I love them - and this - what a tasty and flavorful recipe!

Jo said...

This looks good. The great thing about eggplant is that its like a sponge that'll absorb all the flavours around it. I love this veggie although I know of folks who absolutely hate it.

Laura in Paris said...

Miam! I love scallops - and garlic!

Dewi said...

I love spicy eggplant, this one of your is truly wonderful.