North Chinese Roast Eggplant Food

CHINESE EGGPLANT RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut the eggplants into 1.5 inches long pieces. Mix the salt and vinegar with the eggplant and let it sits for 15 minutes. Drain and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
• Coat the eggplants with eggwhite, followed by the potato starch.
• Deep-fry the eggplants with oil in moderate heat until the flesh starts to turn color. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel.
• Saute the ingredients in B with some oil over low to medium heat until aromatic.
• Mix all the ingredients in C to constitute the sauce. Add the sauce to the wok.
• Return the fried eggplants to the wok. Flash fry for 10 seconds over high heat.
• Dish out and serve immediately.

NORTH CHINESE ROAST EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant into 2-inch fingerlike strips. A 7- or 8-inch eggplant will yield about 18 to 24 pieces. Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large frying pan.
• In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Fry the eggplant a batch at a time until golden brown and drain on paper towels. The eggplant pieces should have plenty of room to fry on the surface of the oil.
• When all the eggplant is fried, heat a dry wok and add a little oil. When hot, add the garlic and ginger and stir briefly. Add the vinegar mixture and stir. It will quickly thicken, then add the eggplant and toss until most of the sauce cooks away and the pieces are well coated. Turn off the heat, dribble in the sesame oil and remove to a bowl.
• When ready to serve (this improves as it sits at room temperature), garnish with the scallion shreds.

ROASTED EGGPLANTS WITH GARLIC (蒜香烤茄子)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix oil with salt, light soy sauce and Chinese five spice powder.
• Wipe the eggplant clean and slice them in half lengthwise. With the tip of a knife, score the flesh deeply in a diamond cross-hatch pattern by making several long cuts, cutting at a steep angle, and then rotating the eggplant to make another set of similar cuts. This step helps the eggplants to absorb the oil and seasonings.
• Heat oven to 210 degree C. Then brush 1/2 of the oil mixture on the surface and then roast for 15 minutes. Take out and brush the remaining oil mixture. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes until the eggplants become soft and the edges are slightly curly.

MISO-ROASTED CHINESE EGGPLANTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Toss eggplant chunks with olive oil in a bowl and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, turning once.
• Mix miso, sugar, soy sauce, water, mirin, vinegar, and sesame oil together in a bowl. Pour over eggplants and toss. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake for 5 minutes; toss. Continue to bake until tender, about 5 minutes more. Serve.

CHINESE EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Place the eggplant on a baking sheet, and prick them in several places with a fork to allow steam to escape. Pour 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil into your hands, and rub the eggplant. Roast them until soft, for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking. Remove from the oven, and set aside until the eggplant are cool enough to handle.
• When cool, cut off the stems, and peel the eggplant. Place the pulp in a food processor, and process until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining vegetable oil, along with the sesame oil, in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions and red-pepper flakes; cook quickly, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar and vinegar. Add to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Stir in the eggplant, and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.