Steamed Brinjal with Miso Sauce
Sunday, April 28, 2013
I don't post many veg recipes and glad to get this one up.
I love brinjal (eggplant or aubergine) and am always amazed by how so many cuisines have made good use of it,be it Indian, Italian, Malay or Chinese. It can be cooked in so many ways. The brinjal love affair started late for me as I did not like the bitter taste when I first ate it as a child. But since then, I have grown to like it.
One way of cooking it is my Mum's Hakka Yong Tou Foo and I have raved about how brinjal makes a perfect HYTF piece. I am making HYTF again this week for a big group of diners and am looking forward to some great HYTF again.
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| Stuffed Brinjal - gorgeous , isn't it? |
Buy the "Japanese" type of brinjal, the ones which are of the long variety (not the round Australian ones), with fewer seeds in the center. They are smaller in size compared to the more regular ones. Sometimes they are labelled as "organic."In any case, actually any type of brinjal will work, as long as there aren't a lot of seeds as you want a smooth eating experience.
Peel off the skin. Cut into small strips, no thicker than 2 cm in diameter. Remember to keep the peeled brinjal submerge in water to prevent dark spots from appearing (oxidation).
Heat up your steamer. Leave the brinjal to steam for about 20 minutes or till the strips are translucent. I prefer to use steamer with holes as the steaming will be faster and I have no use for the water which will gather if you use a tray.
Keep it warm in the steamer till you are ready to serve. Garnish with whatever sauce you like. In this recipe, I used some Miso, a bit of Sake and some onion oil. Just warm the sauce gently and pour on the steamed brinjal.
Pour the sauce on the steamed brinjal strips. Garnish with diced spring onions and fried shallots if you like. You can also add some diced red chills.
Serve immediately. It is hard not to like steamed brinjal. Looks and tastes great.
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| "Japanese" brinjal |
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| Skinned and cut up brinjal |
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| After about 20 minutes in the steamer - keep it there till u r ready to serve it |
3 comments
I was looking for a nice vegie dish to go with claypot chicken rice - this is perfect! I am often inspired by your blog - the writing is reassuringly informative and the recipes work wonderfully. It's just like the home cooking my Mum used to make. She passed away when I was young and since I live overseas there isn't anyone I can ask for Singaporean/Malaysian cooking tips.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for the internet, it's only because of blogs like yours I've been able to recreate the'taste of home.
Btw, did you know that here in Australia these "Japanese brinjal" are known as "Lebanese eggplants"? Funny eh?
Okay, this is a basic question, but what is your technique for making onion oil? Garlic oil and onion oil are kitchen necessities (to serve with plain rice porridge, for instance) but embarrassingly I have no clue how to make either one. Any tips would be much appreciated.
Hi Rachel
ReplyDeleteMost welcome. Onion oil is what is left after you do fried shallots. Garlic oil I what is left after you make fried garlic. Basically dice and slow fry . There are other ways to make ie pickle in jars or roast in oven.
Thanks, will give it a try :-)
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