Chinese Crispy Fried Stuffed Eggplants 炸香酥酿茄子

I saw a crispy fried eggplant photo shared by Nami Just One Cookbook in her Instagram, she had this dish in a Chinese restaurant. I know it must be very delicious, as I always prefer eggplant to be deep fried. So I created this recipe and it was well received by my family, even my kids not fancy with eggplant, also gave thumbs up.

 

stuffed eggplants before deep fry

 

after deep fried

 

Love the taste of the sweet sauce that I mix and match, sour,salty and sweet, perfectly matched with this crispy fried stuffed eggplants.

Chinese Crispy Fried Stuffed Eggplants 炸香酥酿茄子

2 long eggplants 

Stuffed ingredients

200g minced pork

1tsp Chinese rice wine

1tsp light soy sauce

White pepper

A pinch of salt 

For the sweet sauce

3tbsp water

2tbsp sugar

1tbsp tomato ketchup

1tbsp dark vinegar

1tsp dark soy sauce

1tsp light soy sauce

1/4tsp Worcestershire sauce

A pinch of salt 

For coating – 2 egg white, rice flour or corn flour , or crispy batter recipe here

Method

1. Cut eggplant slanted about 3cm into few pieces, then cut the middle of the eggplant almost but not all the way through.
2. Mix well the stuffed ingredients, then stuffed into each of the eggplant.
3. Dip eggplant in the egg white, then coat with rice flour, deep fry till golden brown.
4. Cook the sweet sauce in a saucepan, spread the sweet sauce over deep fried eggplants. Enjoy while hot..

Recipe by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Stir fried green beans and eggplant with Chinese preserved olive vegetable 清炒橄榄菜青豆茄子粒

I was introduced to Chinese preserved olive vegetables 橄榄菜 when we ordered a plate of stir fried green beans with Chinese olive vegetables in a Chinese restaurant the other day. Since then, I will order this dish whenever we taking meal in outside Chinese restaurant, because my kids simply like this dish a lot. And I also quite often cook this dish at home.
This time, I was using the same ingredients but make a new twist by adding eggplants, it taste good too.

This is Chinese preserved olive vegetables 橄榄菜 , you can get it from wet market or supermarket, easy to get this. And this consider as a vegetarian sauce..

Updated on 14th Apr- This piece of information is extracted from an article in Chinese Newspaper-Sin Jew Daily. Actually Chinese preserved olive vegetables is using mustard leaf but not olive leaf . Air dry mustard leaves then soak in Olive oil (I guess they use Chinese olive oil but not Western type of olive oil) . And I also found a homemade preserved olive vegetable recipe here.

The important point of making this yummy vegetarian dish is you have to deep fry the eggplant and green beans first. After deep fried, both tasted with very nice aroma..



Stir fried green beans and eggplant with Chinese preserved olive vegetable
(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

 260g French green beans, cut into small pieces

180g eggplant, cut into small pieces
1tsp chopped garlic
2tbsp Chinese olive vegetable
1tsp sugar or to taste

 Method

1. Deep fry eggplant pieces till light golden brown, drain on paper.
2. Deep fry green beans till light golden brown, drain on paper.
3. In the same wok, leave 1tbsp of deep frying oil, add in garlic and Chinese preserved olive vegetables, stir fry for a while.
4. Return deep fried eggplant and green beans to the wok, add in sugar, stir to mix well.
5. Dish out and serve with steamed white rice.

Pan fried eggplant with sweet soy sauce

While i still figure out how to write my Japan trip post and sorting out the photos, let me share this super easy eggplant recipe for you. Eventhough it is simple recipe but yet it was delicious even my kid who doesn't like eggplant also fought for the last piece..

This is the sweet soy sauce that i use..feel free to use other brands..

I saw this recipe while i flipping through a cookbook in a bookstore the other day, could not recall the book name. The important sauce of this dish is Sweet soy sauce..Ya, my husband also suggested me to add some fried dried shrimps next time..
Latest update on 23 June- one reader informed she tried out this recipe and she also add few drop of vinegar, taste good too.

Pan fried eggplant with sweet soy sauce
(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

2 medium eggplants, halved, soaked in salt water
Chopped spring onions
Chopped red chili
Fried shallots

1-2 tbsp sweet soy sauce or to taste
Cooking oil

Method
1. Heat little cooking oil on a non-stick pan.
2. Place eggplant in a single layer over low heat, pan fry till brown and cooked for both sides.
3. Drizzle sweet soy sauce over fried eggplants, garnish with chopped spring onions, red chili and fried shallots. Enjoy

Ratatouille, Pommes Duchesse (Baked puree potatoes)

Ratatouille movie is one of my favourite movie, i was repeated watching this movie for few times..Finally i made Ratatouille for the 1st time...

Ratatouille
(recipe source: adapted from Flavours Food Magazine Oct 2007)

1 long purple eggplant
2 zucchinis, cubed
1 onion, cubed
1 red capsicum, cubed
1 green capsicum, cubed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
200g tomatoes, peeled and cubed
100g tomato puree
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme

3tbsp olive oil
Brown sugar to taste
Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Method
1. Split the eggplant lengthwise, place in a colander, and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitterness. Set aside for 30mins, drain and cut into cubes.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom pan. Add the eggplant and cook until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, cook the zucchinis the same way. Remove and set aside.
4. In the same pan, cook the onion until aroma. Add red and green capsicums and cook until tender, add garlic, eggplant, zucchini, tomato and tomato puree. Cook for 1min.
5. Pluck the rosemary and thyme leaves, add to the ratatouille. Simmer over low heat for 1hour. Stir from time to time.
6. Season to taste with sugar, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
7. Allow to cool and refrigerate if not using immediately. The flavours will develop overnight.
8. Serve warm or cold, as a side dish, as a topping, or use as a base or flavouring for other recipes.

 We enjoyed Ratatouille with Pommes Duchesse (basically some puréed potatoes that includes egg yolk, butter and seasonings), sausages and sunny side-up eggs..

Pommes Duchesse (Baked puree potatoes)
(recipe source: adapted from Angie’s recipe)

400g potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
1 egg yolk
50g butter, melted
A pinch of nutmeg
Salt and white pepper to taste

Method
1. Boil potatoes till tender. Drain, mash and press potato through a fine sieve into a bowl.
2. Add egg yolk and half the butter. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir to combine.
3. Pipe swirled rosettes onto a lined baking sheet. Drizzle remaining butter over potato.
4. Bake at pre-heated oven at 220c for 20-25mins or until lightly browned.

Thanks Angie for sharing Pommes Duchesse recipe, it was yummy while still hot, especially the brown and baked edges..so aroma..

Special Baked Brinjal and Minced meat

Just realized that I have quite long did not post a simple Chinese dish. Today I would like to share this simple brinjal dish. I taken a similar brinjal dish in Xiamen China recently, the taste was forgetable. Even my kids don't like brinjal, also gave thumbs up to this dish, as they like the very flavour gravy from this dish, best to serve with a plate of steamed rice.

Before putting into oven

You can also choose to steam instead of bake ..

Special Baked Brinjal and Minced meat
(recipe souce: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)


1 brinjal / eggplant, big


150g minced meat
1tsp light soy sauce
1tsp Chinese rice wine
Pepper
1tsp tapioca flour


100g prawns, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped


Seasonings
1tbsp oyster sauce
1tbsp light soy sauce
1/2tbsp dark soy sauce
1/2tsp salt or to taste
1/2tsp sugar or to taste
Pepper


250ml water


red chili, chopped
spring onion, chopped


Method
1. Marinate minced meat with light soy sauce, wine, pepper and tapioca flour for 1hour.
2. Wash cleanly the brinjal and cut off the head. Deep fry in a wok with some oil till brown. Make few slices on the brinjal. Set aside.
3. In a wok, heat 3tbsp of cooking oil, sauté chopped garlic, add in prawns and meat, stir till color changed.
4. Add in water, bring to boil, then add in seasonings, thicken with tapioca starch and water, dish out. 
5. Place the deep fried brinjal in a sheet of aluminium foil (fold the sides to look like a bowl) and pour in the meat mixture. Cover with another sheet of aluminium foil.
6. Bake at pre-heated oven at 200c for 45mins (depend on the size of brinjal, adjust accordingly).
7. Garnish with red chili and spring onion, serve hot with steamed white rice.