Garlic and Onion Chinese Eggplant

2010-2-12

Garlic and Red Onion Chinese Eggplant

As a kid, I wasn't a fan of eggplant. Not even close. Couldn't stand the texture, it's mushiness; and, as a result, I couldn't stand the taste either. When I was pregnant with my second born, for some odd reason or another, I fancied Chinese eggplants, I stir fried them with diced tomatoes and garlic. I ate so much of that, along with some other foods, the mere thought of them wasn't appetizing to me.

Another piece I'd like to share at this juncture is that conquering the challenge of cooking something in a tasty, nutritious fashion has been a bit therapeutic at times. Like today. I've had these Chinese eggplants sitting in my refrigerator for just over half a week and haven't done anything with them. Felt so great succeeding at making something smell so good and taste so mouth-watering-good. And, this is my very own concoction.

Per usual (to me), I don't have exact measurements on everything.


Ingredients:

• 3 Chinese eggplants (coarsely peeled and cut into circles, as seen in the picture below)
  
• 1 small red onion (I halfed the onion and then cut it very thinly, as can also be seen below)
  
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (diced)
  
• 2 tbsp (tablespoons) rice vinegar
• 2 tsp (teaspoons) worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• sea salt
• chicken broth
• olive oil
  

Above: Chinese eggplants coarsely peeled and cut into circles. Below: a cut red onion.


Directions:

In a frying pan, stir fry the red onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil on medium heat (or slightly below). When anything gets dry, I added a bit of chicken broth (add water instead if pinching pennies or if you're wanting to cook a vegetarian version); avoid buring the onions (or eggplant for that matter). Once the onions and garlic are decently cooked, add the eggplant. Add a bit of sea salt and perhaps chicken broth (just enough so nothing will burn) to it. Cover and let simmer for a few minutes. Then add the rice vinegar, worcestershire, and soy sauce (I mixed the three in a separate bowl ahead of time). Let it cook long enough to let the flavor soak into the eggplant. Ready to eat! I ate it with rice.

Another photograph of the finished product: