Feast your taste buds on the tantalizing flavors of Eggplant Hunan Style, a delightful fusion of textures and spices. This delectable dish combines the smokiness of roasted eggplant with a tantalizing sauce made from garlic, ginger, and aromatic Shaoxing wine. Originating from the vibrant Hunan province in China, this recipe embodies the region's bold and spicy culinary traditions. Prepare to embark on a culinary journey with three variations of this dish: the classic Eggplant Hunan Style, a vegetarian delight featuring tofu, and a simplified version that caters to those short on time. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a novice in the kitchen, these recipes will guide you through the process of creating this flavorful masterpiece, ensuring a delectable outcome every time.
Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!
EGGPLANT STRING BEAN STIR-FRY
This Chinese eggplant string bean stir-fry is an easy, delicious dish with only 10 ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry.
Provided by Judy
Categories Vegetables
Time 40m
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In a flat bottomed frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat, and shallow fry the green beans. Roll the beans around slowly until they start to look wrinkly and slightly crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove them to a plate and set aside.
- Using the remaining oil in the pan, do the same procedure with the eggplant using slightly higher heat. It's done once the edges turn slightly browned, and the eggplant is tender. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside along with the green beans.
- Add one tablespoon of the leftover oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and red chili, and cook for a minute. Mix in the green beans and eggplant, and then the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and white pepper. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 175 kcal, Carbohydrate 11 g, Protein 3 g, Fat 14 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 690 mg, Fiber 4 g, Sugar 5 g, ServingSize 1 serving
HUNAN EGGPLANT
Insipid eggplant dishes are now a thing of the past! It doesn't look very pretty but the taste more than makes up for it. The most important flavoring ingredient is the chili bean paste so choose a good one that is made with fermented fava beans or a combination with fermented soy beans. The dried shrimp add a lot of flavor but feel free to omit it for a vegetarian version. We made so much that my timing is a guesstimate, please be kind with me!! :)
Provided by Manami
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 40m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Soak the dried shrimp in a few tablespoons of hot water for about 5 minutes; drain, rinse, then mince the shrimp.
- Cut the eggplant into chunks on the bias.
- Cut at an angle, then rotate the eggplant a half turn, then cut on the bias again, repeat.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the chopped zha cai and minced dried shrimp, cook for a minute or two in the hot oil.
- Add the chili paste, green onions, minced ginger, and minced garlic and cook until the mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the eggplant and stir to coat the pieces in the chili mixture, cook for a minute.
- Add the soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and about a 1/4 cup of water.
- Cover and steam until eggplant are tender but not mushy.
- Stir occasionally, don't be too rough or you'll smash the eggplant.
- Season to taste with more soy sauce or salt.
- Garnish with sliced green onions (green part only; serve with brown or white rice.
EGGPLANT HUNAN STYLE
This is a delicious side dish to serve with your Chinese dinner if you enjoy eggplant. The recipe is from a January 1986 issue of Bon Appetit in the "Cooking for Friends" section.
Provided by Leslie in Texas
Categories Vegetable
Time 29m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat 4 tablespoons peanut oil in heavy 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add eggplant and stir-fry until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Remove, using slotted spoon; set aside.
- Add remaining peanut oil to skillet and warm over medium heat.
- Add garlic, chili paste and ginger and cook 15 seconds.
- Add stock, soy sauce and sugar and bring to boil.
- Add vinegar and eggplant and cook until eggplant has absorbed most of sauce, about 1 minute.
- Stir in green onion and sesame oil.
- Serve hot, removing eggplant with slotted spoon.
GRILLED SOY AND GINGER MARINATED RACK OF LAMB SERVED WITH HUNAN STYLE EGGPLANT AND MISO AND PLUM SAUCE
Steps:
- To make the Soy and Ginger Marinade: in a bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until well blended.
- For the lamb: Wrap the chop bones with aluminum foil. (This will minimize the exposure of bones to the marinade and prevent the bones from turning black during the grilling process.) Marinate the racks of lamb for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the grill. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Over high heat, grill the racks of lamb until nicely marked and golden brown in color. Remove the aluminum foil covering the lamb bones. Transfer to a preheated oven to finish cooking to medium rare or desired doneness.
- Cut each rack of lamb into 4 double chop pieces. Serve on a bed of Hunan Style Eggplant, with half the Miso and Plum Sauce drizzled over with Cilantro and Mint Vinaigrette. Garnish with julienne green onions and sprigs of cilantro.
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Blanch the garlic slices for 30 seconds. Drain. Transfer to a baking tray and allow to cool.
- Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 360 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the 3 types of soy sauces. Reserve. In a wok or large saute pan, over high heat, add the peanut oil. Stir-fry the blanched garlic until golden brown. Add the sugar and continue to stir-fry until garlic is well coated. Add the chili paste. Deglaze with rice wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Reduce until slightly thickened. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and continue to simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Combine the cornstarch and the water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Stir in the slurry and boil the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking all the while, to prevent scorching. Add some water if sauce is too thick. Lower to a simmer.
- Deep-fry the eggplant until tender and golden in color. Drain off excess oil. Bring sauce back to a boil and stir in fried eggplant. Lower heat to a simmer and allow sauce to reduce and thicken. Serve immediately.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil. Over medium heat, add the garlic, shallots, ginger and green onions and saute until glossy and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in star anise and black peppercorns. Continue to saute until aromatic, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with the plum, port and red wines. Reduce until only about 1 cup of liquid remains. Add the lamb demi-glace and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in the raspberry puree, red miso paste and neriume. Continue to reduce until glossy.
- Stir in the butter. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. If too tart, add a pinch of sugar. Strain through a chinois and keep warm until needed.
- In a small bowl combine the mustard powder and the water and stir to make a paste and set aside. In a blender, combine the cilantro, mint, egg yolk, peanuts, cashews, lemon juice, pickled ginger, vinegar, and reconstituted mustard. Process to a puree. While the motor is running, slowly add the peanut oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar. Refrigerate until needed. Use half of the vinaigrette for the lamb and reserve half for the salmon.
SZECHUAN SPICY EGGPLANT
Folks who love spicy food will approve of this fantastic meat and eggplant dish! This is a recipe from my Chinese mother, whose cooking is unsurpassable. Adjust the amount of chili sauce to suit your taste. Serve over hot rice.
Provided by ANGWEN
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Chinese
Time 45m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Remove the eggplant stem and cut into 1-inch cubes. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, chicken stock, chili sauce, sugar, ground black pepper and oyster sauce. Stir together well and set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, and set aside.
- Coat a large, deep pan with cooking spray over high heat and allow a few minutes for it to get very hot. Saute the garlic, half of the green onions, ginger and dried shrimp, if using (see Cook's Note) for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until they begin to brown. Stir in the ground beef or pork and cook for 3 more minutes, again stirring constantly, until browned.
- Pour the eggplant into the pan and stir all together. Pour the reserved soy sauce mixture over all, cover the pan, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you're using fresh shrimp, add it during the last few minutes of cooking. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and let heat until thickened. Finally, stir in the rest of the green onions and the sesame oil.
- Serve over hot rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 440.5 calories, Carbohydrate 61.6 g, Cholesterol 71.3 mg, Fat 12.6 g, Fiber 5.6 g, Protein 20 g, SaturatedFat 3.9 g, Sodium 1078.8 mg, Sugar 7.5 g
Tips:
- Choose the right eggplant: Select a medium-sized eggplant that feels heavy for its size. This indicates that it's fresh and has fewer seeds.
- Cut the eggplant properly: Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes or slices. Make sure the pieces are uniform in size so that they cook evenly.
- Soak the eggplant in water: Soaking the eggplant in water for 30 minutes before cooking helps to remove the bitterness and make it more tender.
- Use high-quality ingredients: The quality of your ingredients will directly affect the taste of your dish. Use fresh vegetables, aromatic spices, and a good quality soy sauce.
- Don't overcrowd the pan: When cooking the eggplant, don't overcrowd the pan. This will prevent the eggplant from cooking evenly and becoming soggy.
- Cook the eggplant until it's tender: Eggplant should be cooked until it's tender but still slightly firm. Overcooking will make it mushy.
- Serve the eggplant immediately: Hunan-style eggplant is best served immediately after cooking, while it's still hot and crispy.
Conclusion:
Hunan-style eggplant is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is sure to impress your family and friends. With its perfect balance of flavors and textures, this dish is a great addition to any Asian-inspired meal. So next time you're looking for a quick and flavorful weeknight meal, give Hunan-style eggplant a try. You won't be disappointed!
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