Chinese Style Brinjal/ Eggplant/ Aubergine/ Vazhuthanaga Fry

Recipe No: 170
What about a change from all the regular Brinjal dishes and from all the regular Chinese dishes? Well the inspiration of this came from a photograph I saw in a magazine. It has all the ingredients of a regular Chinese dish and I have to say, it was hmm… heavenly.  Just try it yourself…

Ingredients                                          Serves 2

• Brinjal/ Eggplant……….5 medium sized ones cut into big pieces, two heaping cups
• Ginger chopped………….1 Tablespoon
• Garlic chopped…………..1 Tablespoon
• Spring Onion ...............2 (Chop and separate whites and greens)
• Sambal Oelek…............1/2 Teaspoon (substitute with Red Chilly sauce or Red Chilly flakes)
• Crushed Black Pepper…1/4 Teaspoon
• Vinegar……………….......1/2 Teaspoon
• Soy Sauce………………...3/4 Teaspoon
• Sugar……………………….1/2 Teaspoon
• Corn Starch...........…….1/4 Teaspoon (Diluted with 1 Tablespoon of Water)
• Salt as needed
• Oil for deep frying

Method of Preparation

1. Cut Brinjal/ Eggplant into big pieces and put it in a colander and sprinkle some Salt. Keep it aside for 20-30 minutes.
2. Rinse it thoroughly with your hands under running water to remove the Salt and some of the seeds.
3. Dry the pieces thoroughly with a kitchen towel or tissue.
4. Heat 1/2 cup Oil in a pan/ wok on high heat and deep fry the Eggplant pieces in batches for a minute or two.
5. Drain out the excess Oil on a paper towel and keep them aside till ready to be used.
6. Remove all the Oil except a Tablespoon from the pan and saute Ginger, Garlic and Spring Onion Whites for 30 seconds.
7. Add Sambal Oelek and fry for 10 seconds.
8. Add fried Eggplant pieces, Crushed Black Pepper, Vinegar, Soy Sauce and Sugar; mix well.
9. Pour the Corn starch liquid and mix gently. Add more Salt if needed.
10. Sprinkle Spring Onion greens on top and serve hot.

Notes:

• I used Indian Eggplant for this dish and so used the skin too. If you are using big American Eggplant the skin may be bitter, so whether to use its skin or not is entirely up to you.
• It is essential to cut the Eggplant in big pieces or it will disintegrate in the final stage.
• Use high heat for deep frying or the Eggplant will absorb a lot of Oil. As the cooking time for Brinjal is very low, take care not to over fry.
• Sambal Oelek is dry Red Chilly in Vinegar and is present in most of the Store that sells Chinese sauces (In the international section or the Chinese section of most of the grocery stores).
• Add Salt only in the end as most of the sauces have Salt.

 





Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…