Chinese, for us, brings in the familiarity of food next door. Here, the chef creates a main course with the Chinese favourite — egg plant. The vegetable is first given a pakora avatar, batter fried as it is with corn flour. To break the sedate flavour of eggplant, the chef has stuffed it with cabbage, carrots and corn flour. A belligerent chilli garlic sauce completes the mood.
Batons of eggplant in chilli garlic sauce
Ingredients
150 gms strips of eggplant
500 ml oil for frying
5 gms ginger
5 gms garlic
5 gms chopped onions
5 gms diced spring onions
30 gms chopped cabbage
30 gms chopped carrots
30 gms cottage cheese
10 gms devils chilli paste
5 gms tomato ketchup
1 tsp light soy sauce
0.5 gms salt
1 tsp MSG
1 tsp sugar
200 ml stock
50 gms corn flour
1 tsp vinegar
10 ml oil
Method
Cut the eggplant into one inch thick halves. Make slits and stuff it with cabbage, carrots and cottage cheese. Seal and coat it with corn flour and deep fry till golden brown.
For the sauce
Heat oil in a pan, saute ginger, garlic and onions till fragrant. Add the chilli paste, tomato ketchup and mix well. Pour in the stock along with salt and MSG and adjust the seasoning. Thicken it with corn flour. Add vinegar to it in the end.
Pour the prepared sauce over the fried egg plant. Serve it with chopped spring onions.
