Malaysia Food: Eggplant with Oyster Sauce

Locally, eggplant is also known as Brinjal, you can usually see this purple color long curvy “J” shape vegetable sold in supermarket and wet market.

There are 2 types of eggplants sold in the market;

Long fat or thin eggplants

Round short eggplants

Long eggplants are commonly used in stir fries, deep fries and stews whereas round eggplants are commonly included into curry stews or roasted eggplants with minced meat.

Eggplants could last at least a week after bought from the wet market if you chill them in the fridge, wrapped with a plastic cling wrap.

However, once the eggplant had been cut into halves, it is wise to consume the other half in a day or two because it will wilt or turn brownish quickly.

Eggplant skins can be eaten or peeled off, depending on your preference or your recipe requirement.

However, most recipes would recommend to cook with the skin attached because the nutrients , fibre and vitamins contained on the skin would be wasted if you discard it.

Since eggplant would easily absorb sauces and oil quickly, this is the reason why eggplant is easily cooked in minutes.

If you plan to deep fry cut eggplants in hot cooking oil, make it a quick toss and turn and lift them up once the flesh are scalded.

Eggplant Minced Meat with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients:

• 250g eggplant ( long eggplant or 2 round eggplant)
• 180g minced pork or chicken
• 4 red chillies -remove seeds, cut into strips( optional)
• 2 cloves garlic-chopped
• Oil for frying

Seasoning sauce:

• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup
• 1/2 tsp chilli sauce
• 1/2 cup water

Method of cooking:

• If you had bought fresh chicken fillets, mince them. Alternatively, you can buy ready-made minced chicken or pork sold in the wet market or supermarket in tube form.
• Marinate minced meat with 1 tsp light soy sauce, a pinch of salt and white pepper.
• Mix 1 tsp of tapioca flour with the minced meat.
• Rinse the long eggplant.
• Cut off the top and use a potato peeler to peel off the skin on 1^strow, leave a space, peel off the skin on the next row and so on. ( as picture shown ).
• Cut the eggplant in rectangular shape ( as picture shown )
• Coat each eggplant with plain flour.
• Heat up wok with lots of palm or coconut oil.
• Deep fry eggplants lightly. Remove them, place onto paper kitchen towel in order to absorb the excess oil.
• Remove all the oil. Remain 1 tbsp in the wok.
• Saute chopped garlic until fragrant..
• Stir fry minced meat by separating the meat, don’t clump them into a big bundle.
• Add in the water, all the sauces and allow to simmer for 2 min, until the gravy thickens and reduced.
• Lastly, toss in all the eggplants, make a quick stir, turn off heat.
• Transfer the Eggplant dish to a plate and serve hot with white rice or porridge.

You will noticed that this Eggplant Minced Meat with Oyster Sauce is not spicy at all despite chilli sauce and red chillies are used.

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Pork Shreds with seaweeds

Mustard greens with tofu crisp

photo belongs to peachpurple