It soaks up all the gravy’s flavor to turn an ordinary vegetable to a delightful treat. Add a little more water if necessary to reach the desired sauce consistency. As with most recipes that use anchovies, they add a very subtle nutty flavor to the dish without making it “fishy” at all! Instead cut it only in the final step just before you are ready to cook. … Add in the cornflour mixture to thicken the gravy. I made it first, exactly as you have it and it was just so good I don’t even know. Turkish eggplants are really delicious, and I’m glad I could take advantage of them for this Cantonese eggplant dish. Have an upcoming trip to Guangzhou planned and hope to eat everything I possibly can, and thanks to you guys I know what I want to try! Wash the mushroom and soak in hot water until soft. Anchovies win again. But you can feel free to use whatever eggplant you can get your hands on. Once the garlic is cool, store in an airtight container. Born in Shanghai, she arrived in the U.S. at age 16. Transfer the meat mixture to a claypot and braise for 10 mins or until the eggplants are soft. Coat the egg plant with cornflour just before deep frying. Once the crispy garlic turns brown, it is actually slightly burnt already and will have an unpleasant bitter taste. “I am proud to say that your genealogy has been the sole tutorial for my Asian-inspired culinary adventures for years; probably since you began. Before we get started, here is the list of ingredients that you need for this dish! I was skeptical about the black vinegar, worried that it would taste too strong. If you cannot get hold of the Taiwanese chilli bean paste, you can also substitute with Fermented Soy Bean Paste (also known as Fermented Yellow Bean or Tau Cheo in Hokkien) and add some chilli paste according to your preferred level of spiciness! Add the eggplant pieces to a large zip top bag and toss with 2 tablespoons cornstarch until evenly coated. Need your advice, please. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. When frying the garlic, watch it closely. Fry the eggplant in batches, cooking each batch for about 2 minutes. Squeeze out the water, then remove the stalk and cut into tiny pieces. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. It has that special texture and aroma that one either loves or hates. If doing this again will have the proper fish or double the amount of bacalao. We have another classic recipe for you today, and we’re very excited about it! Time and again, my worldwide web pursuits for solid recipes that I know my family will eat has landed me back here.”. TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. Deep-fry fried the eggplants Pre-treatment I live in the middle of Turkey and I don’t know where to get any such fermented dried fish, so I just left it out of the recipe. Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube! Step 5. Add a little more water if necessary to reach the desired sauce consistency. Contrary to its name, this dish does not actually contain fish. TheBurningKitchen.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Wow it was delicious. Remember to share the final product to our Facebook page when you are done! Judy is the mom of The Woks of Life family. For more information about the brand of Tau Cheo and other Chinese sauces we use, please read our article on Essential Chinese Sauces and Condiments in our pantry! We believe in teaching you the secret sauce behind each recipe. Trust me when I tell you that this dish has amazing depth of flavor, and the secret ingredient is Cantonese salted fish. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe :-). Bill is definitely one of them (though he’s not going to like that I lumped him in with the “older generation.” Haha). Trim off the ends, and cut the eggplant into 2-inch x 1/2-inch pieces. Heat 1 1/2 cups canola oil in a small pot (the oil should be about 3/4-inch deep) over medium heat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in your wok over medium heat. For this eggplant casserole, that step is essential. This recipe is going into my regular rotation. Turn up the heat to high and mix everything together. I made this with tofu instead of meat, and miso instead of anchovies (allergic) and it was great! I still thought the finished product tasted great. Don’t forget to read the Recipe Notes and FAQs at the end of this post before attempting this dish! Once the sauce is thickened, it’s ready to serve! Add the ginger, garlic and the white parts of the scallions. Nowhere near as good as the original, but not as much worse as you might think. Hi Bee Leng, Thank you for your recipe. Prawn Noodles (虾面/Hae Mee) with Pork Ribs. Also add 1/2 cup water. Toss your pork (or chicken) with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch and set aside. I prefer to buy Chinese or Japanese eggplants for this dish. Also substituted small (4 = 2 lb) chicken leg quarters shopped into 1″ pieces. By this time, the garlic should start to take on a nice golden hue. Below is the step by step guide on how to prepare this Chinese eggplant dish. d. Once the crispy garlic is done, use a metal sieve to separate the garlic from the oil. Doubled to 8 servings. Once the gravy thickens, garnish with spring onions, crispy garlic and chilli (optional) and serve hot with a bowl of hot steaming jasmine rice. Fry until light golden, then turn off the heat. We are Bee Leng & Melissa, the mother-daughter team behind The Burning Kitchen. The Chinese eggplants are dark lavender in colour whereas the Japanese ones are lighter in color, but they are similar in taste. Looking for more authentic recipes? If you can’t find salted fish where you are, a great substitute would be salty, nutty anchovies, which can be found canned or jarred in olive oil in any grocery store these days. Remove and transfer to a plate lined with a paper kitchen towel to drain the excess oil. I tried making it again yesterday without access to any salted fish… not sure if I committed a culinary sin here, but I substituted the only salty fish thing I could find: Katsuobushi. The oil will continue to cook the garlic. Then remove the transparent bone that runs down the centre, the hard beak (mouth) and the eyes from the dried cuttlefish. The oil should continue to cook the garlic until it turns golden. Dried cuttlefish is available from the supermarkets and wet markets. To test the oil temperature, stick a bamboo or wooden chopstick in the oil. Subscribe for the latest updates on new recipes, and get started with our family's Top 25 Recipe eBook! I made this for the first time. You’ll also notice that the eggplant is fried before being added to the dish. As an added perk, the party host will also receive a complimentary kitchen and cookware consultation from me. Serve this classic Cantonese eggplant casserole dish with lots of steamed rice! Filed Under: 0 to 1 Hour Recipes, Gluten-Free Recipes, Hawker Recipes, Recipes by Cooking Style, Vegan-Friendly, Meats and Poultry Recipes, Recipes, Recipes by Cooking Method, Vegetarian-Friendly Recipes, Chinese Recipes, Restaurant-Style Recipes, Recipes by Cuisine, Claypot Recipes, Egg-Free Recipes, Recipes by Dietary Preferences, Videos, Fish-Free Recipes, Spicy Recipes, Recipes by Cooking Time, Asian Recipes, Nut-free, Recipes by Course, Vegetable Recipes, Shellfish-Free Recipes, Make-Ahead Recipes Tagged With: Pork, Eggplant. Because of the cornstarch used to coat the eggplant, the liquid should thicken into a sauce. Chop the garlic finely. Last updated on September 11, 2018 By Bee Leng 2 Comments. I don’t know what I would do without The Woks of Life. Thanks. SPICY CLAYPOT EGGPLANT WITH MINCED PORK (鱼香茄子煲): The eggplant is spicy and flavourful (thanks to the Taiwan chilli bean sauce base), while the process of first deep-frying and then braising the eggplant in a traditional claypot gives it a smooth, almost creamy texture that makes every mouthful a delight to bite into! Ninety two year old mother-in-law of Cantonese descent approved. Turn up the heat to high and mix everything together. Compared to the fat globe eggplants, Chinese and Japanese eggplants have a thinner skin and a m0re delicate flavour, and yield a smooth and creamy texture after cooking. For an alternative recipe that isn’t fried, check out Bill’s eggplant with garlic sauce.