Eggplant with Fragrant Topping 香口茄子

Eggplant or brinjal is one vegetable that many people either love it or hate it, it's the extreme of either ends. I love eggplants... but less oil please.

In Chinese cooking, eggplants are usually deep fried before cooking with other ingredients. They do this to "strengthen" the structure, so that it won't be all mushy. But it's a bit too oily, cos, eggplants are good oil 'suckers' !!!

I have a few creations that doesn't require the eggplant to be fried. This is one of them.

I know there is another version... that boils the eggplant til soft, peel them, torn to small pieces, and topped with sambal, soy sauce and lime juice.... This is not the same.. not the same..

Eggplant with Fragrant Toppings recipe

Ingredients
1 long eggplant
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 red chili
1 Tbsp dried shrimp (washed, dried, chopped finely, but I used very small dried shrimps, so there’s no need to chop them up, the drier the shrimp, the crispier they'll be)
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil

Method
1. Chop shallot, and garlic finely. Separately chop chili finely too

2. Boil a small saucepan of water. Cut eggplants just to fit the width of the pot.
Blanch eggplants until they are cooked and soft, but not soggy. This takes less than 2 minutes

3. Drain egg plants and cut into strips.

4. Arrange nicely on a plate.

5. Heat wok and put in oil. Saute garlic and shallots until slightly golden.

6.Put in chopped chili and dried shrimp, and sauté until everything is golden and very fragrant

7. Put in salt, and stir.

8. Place fragrant toppings over blanched eggplants