We have been stressing as Lunar New Year is so close to us but yet we have prepared anything. This year Lunar New Year falls on the 22nd of January, we just remove our Christmas tree and now we need to hurry to get prepared for it. To save some time like to create a simple dish for the eve of the Lunar New Year.
Eggplant is one of those polarizing vegetables—people either adore its soft, spongy texture or absolutely detest it. Us, we use to dislike eggplant, but until we discovered the steaming method. Eggplant is often fried with a lot of oil and ends up being too heavy for my tastes, but steamed eggplant is light and a wonderful vessel to soak up the sauce. It’s a fast way to cook eggplant, and even more important, the texture transforms and becomes silky soft, tender, and creamy.
Preparing the Eggplant
About Eggplant
Cooking eggplant can be equally frustrating, though. That beautiful and vibrant purple color can turn ugly grey after cooking. So, how do you keep eggplant purple after cooking without frying it? The answer is salt and/or vinegar. Once the eggplant is cut into pieces, it starts to oxidize when it meets the oxygen in the air. For this dish, we soaked the eggplant in vinegar water for 3 minutes. Eggplant is very absorbent, but since we are steaming them, it’s ok to soak them.
How do you steam them?
Prepare your steamer, we use our traditional pot and steam tray, and turn the heat on low to preheat the water in the steamer. Cut each eggplant crosswise into 3 equal sections, then cut each section into 8-10 bite-sized strips. Fill a large container with about 2 quarts of water and 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Soak the eggplant in the vinegar water for 3 minutes. Then remove the eggplant and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Arrange them on a heat-proof rimmed dish and carefully lower them into the steamer. Cover and turn the heat on high. Steam the eggplant for 8-10 minutes.
Combine all your ingredients
When the cooked eggplant is slightly cool, you can start plating them up. Start by laying the cooked eggplant, and the finely minced garlic, spring onion, and chili on top. Your only seasoning is soya sauce, thus when it comes to choosing one, we will choose one that is less in sodium avoiding it overpowering the taste of eggplant. Evenly pour the sauce over the eggplant.
The key step of this dish is here, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan until it starts to smoke lightly, and then carefully pour it over the garlic and scallion. You’ll get a wonderful sizzle and delightful aroma.
Chinese Spicy Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
1 pound Japanese or Chinese eggplant (450g, about 3 eggplants)
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 scallion (minced)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Methods
- Prepare your steamer. Turn the heat on low to preheat the water in the steamer.
- Cut each eggplant crosswise into 3 equal sections, then cut each section into 8-10 bite-sized strips.
- Fill a large container with about 2 quarts of water and 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Soak the eggplant in the vinegar water for 3 minutes. Then remove the eggplant and squeeze as much liquid out as possible. Arrange them on a heat-proof rimmed dish and carefully lower them into the steamer. Cover and turn the heat on high. Steam the eggplant for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the eggplant from the steamer (no need to pour out the liquid in the dish), and evenly pour the sauce over the eggplant. Top it with minced garlic and scallions. Pourover soya sauce and soak the eggplant evenly.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan until it starts to smoke lightly, and then carefully pour it over the garlic and scallion. Serve hot or cold. If serving as a cold appetizer, you can make this dish in advance.
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