Besides mushrooms, eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables to cook with. If you cook it correctly it absolutely melts in your mouth.
Ingredients -
3 to 4 large Chinese Eggplants (deep purple color, long and thin)
1 Teaspoon Salt + Salt for Sprinkling
14 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 1/2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Water
Cilantro for Garnish, chopped
Preparation:
Chop eggplants into 3 inch-long sticks.
Place the eggplant sticks in a large bowl.
Sprinkle each eggplant with salt and toss eggplant with hands to mix thoroughly.
Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
Pat dry.
Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil on high heat.
Add the eggplants and stir thoroughly.
Stir in the soy sauce and water.
Lower the heat to medium.
Continue to gently fold the eggplants over so they don't break but mix well.
Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil.
Stir for another minute then turn off the heat.
Add the garlic.
Stir quickly and serve with cilantro for garnish.
Cooking Tip
Eggplant Tip
If you sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and wait 20 minutes it removes most of the excess water from the vegetable which in turn makes it not absorb the oil you fry it in as much.
Cooking Tip
Garlic Fact
East Asians export the largest amount of garlic in the world with over 3 billion pounds sold annually. When purchasing garlic make sure that you buy the firmest heads of garlic that you can find. This indicates taste and freshness.
