Braised Eggplant
A Zhejiang-style home-cooked eggplant dish: the eggplant is deep-fried until golden, then braised, making it an excellent accompaniment to rice.
Ingredients
eggplant (cut into chunks)
1
tomato (cut into pieces)
1
scallion (cut into strips)
1
garlic (smashed)
2 cloves
ginger (cut into strips)
1
egg (for batter)
half
cornstarch (mixed into batter)
150g
salt
to taste
MSG
to taste
peanut oil (for frying eggplant)
250g
cooking wine
to taste
soy sauce
to taste
pepper
a pinch
sugar
a pinch
water
half a bowl
Instructions
1
Preparation
Cut the eggplant into chunks, the tomato into pieces, the scallion into strips, and the ginger into strips. Smash the garlic with the flat side of a knife (known as 'smashed garlic' in the trade).
2
Batter and Fry
Place the wok over heat and add 250 g of oil. Dip the eggplant in batter (made from half an egg and 150 g of cornstarch) and fry until golden. Remove and pour off the excess oil.
3
Braise
Leave a small amount of oil in the wok. Add the scallion, ginger strips, and smashed garlic to bloom (stir-fry until fragrant). Add the eggplant, then season in order with salt, MSG, cooking wine, soy sauce, pepper, and a little sugar. Add half a bowl of water along with the tomato pieces and simmer until cooked through.
