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There are many varieties of eggplant but I like the Chinese eggplant best. It is long and slender and has a deep purple color. The skin is thinner and the flesh more tender as compared to some of the rounder varieties.
Eggplants are capable of absorbing a large amount of oil when fried. To avoid that, Mom would either roast or steam them. She would roast them whole, over charcoal fire, peel and cut into bite-sized pieces. For steaming, she would peel and cut them into pieces before placing them on the steaming rack. Cooked eggplants from both methods are dressed with garlic oil and soy sauce. A very simple yet delicious recipe and it has become another family favorite.
Ro-Ri’s Steamed Chinese Eggplant
2 medium sized Chinese eggplants
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
2 tsp finely sliced green onions
Dried bonito shavings, shichimi tōgarashi, sesame seeds (optional)
Place minced garlic, canola oil, and sesame oil in a small microwave proof dish and microwave for 1½ minutes on high. Remove, add soy sauce and mirin. Stir to combine.
Peel eggplant, cut into quarters lengthwise.
Then cut into 1½ inch pieces. Place onto a steamer and steam eggplants for 10 minutes. Remove, drain.
Pour oil and sauce mixture over eggplants. Garnish with spring onions and optional ingredients (if using).
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day!
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Great preparation of eggplants, I love the sauce!
Great way to prepare eggplant – which I love though as you say, it does suck up oil like a sponge. Saved for trying out!
What a delightfully prepared and presented plate of eggplants!
Regards,
CCR
=:~)
I adore steamed dishes. And your eggplants look very healthy and delicious at the same time.
5 Star Foodie – The addition of mirin makes it really nice…..a little Japanese influence
denise@quickies on the dinner table – I hope you enjoy it….do make sure to drain it well as it also has lots of water in it!
Cajun Chef Ryan – Thanks!
Angie's Recipes – I love steamed dishes too and do a lot of it daily…..really healthy and easy!
Eggplants can lower cholesterol. I like to cook eggplants with chilli. New time must try your steaming method.
Biren I love this dish! My mother actually jsut taught me how to make steamed eggplant this past weekend — also the photo of the eggplant is very very good! I must try your recipe sometime, it looks delicious
Anncoo – Yes, eggplants are really good in a spicy sauce but a little hard on the kids. My boys really enjoy it steamed.
Joy – Thanks Joy! It is so good to have Mom around to give advice. I hope you will try this recipe.
I absolutely love eggplant, and add it to stiry-fries, soups, sauces, and anything else I can sneak it into. It is low in calories, and full of flavor.
Love this steamed version!
[...] also steamed some eggplants as a sidedish. Please refer to my Steamed Eggplant recipe on how to prepare the eggplants. I replaced the canola oil and sesame oil with 5 to 6 pumps [...]
I’m loving that bowl of sauce!
This is going to be the recipe I use the next time I buy eggplants!
I’ll let you know how it turns out when tried!
I like the sauce too. The mirin in the sauce and bonito shavings give the eggplants a nice flavor.
[...] Steamed Eggplants are a family favorite. The dish is easy to prepare and can be ready in under 20 minutes. Sometimes I prefer to pan fry the eggplants instead and have them dressed with a slightly spicy and tangy sauce using bottled garlic chili sauce available at most grocery stores. [...]