Chinese Style Eggplant

One day of each week, I am trying to make my meals meatless. Why? Who knows. Just kidding. I want to more innovative in the way I prepare my vegetables and I thought this was a great way to start practicing making vegetables tasty and satisfying. Also, they say vegetarianism is healthier. Who are they? That is another great question. I think it's the vegetarians that want some company, they say misery loves company but I think vegetarians are the epitome of a group that LOVES COMPANY! My vegetarian friends are always so excited when they find a like-minded eating partner, and some (not all, thankfully) try to get you to see their purpose.

Ingredients: (for 2) 
2 Chinese eggplants - less bitter because they have less seeds/thinner skin
5+ cloves of garlic - minced
1/4 cup of minced ginger
1 tablespoon of spicy garlic sauce
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of black vinegar
1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
2 tablespoon of sugar - brown or white
1/2 cup of water (or chicken stock)
1 tablespoon of cornstarch (add after you've mixed all of the prior wet ingredients)

Optional: 
Thai chilies - chopped
Green onions - for garnish
Ground pork - I went the vegetarian route - but it adds DELICIOUSNESS :)

from the left: eggplants, cooking wine, black vinegar, soy sauce, spicy garlic sauce, ginger, and garlic cloves

In a sheet pan, generously salt your eggplants to draw out the water. I let the eggplants sit for 30 minutes to draw out as much excess moisture as possible. 

Rinse the salt off the eggplant. Dry on paper towels. 

Cook the garlic and ginger with your choice of cooking oil on med-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Turn up to high heat for 1 minute. Stir your aromatics so they do not burn. You want the pan to be super hot when you place in your eggplants. You can remove the aromatics and then turn up the heat, up to you. 

When the pan is hot add in all your eggplants... 

While you are cooking the eggplants, mix in all the wet ingredients and then incorporate the cornstarch once you mix all your wet ingredients to prevent it from clumping.  

Then add in your sauce... I like to add 1/4 of the sauce mixture at at time. Cover and then add in the mixture once the eggplants absorbs it, which is rather quickly. Please check the consistency constantly, adjust to taste, I added no more salt because the soy sauce was enough and I added in the chilies at this point. The eggplants are finished when they no longer have any texture to them, they should be kind of mushy. :) 

Serve over rice! Enjoy when its pipping hot. I find this dish is best enjoyed when its steaming! 

Enjoy!

Kathy