It's obvious that I love aubergines, it is a great influence from mum.
Was wondering the best way to cook the balance piece in the fridge and was inspired at the sight of the bottle of Hoi Sin Sauce.
Aubergines/egg plants/brinjals soak up oil like a sponge thus I was wondering which would be the best way to remedy the problem. I decided to bake them in an oven which would also retain the texture.
There are no specific measurements as such to this recipe as I am just experimenting.
Ingredients:
1. One large aubergine, sliced thickly in rings
2. Three tablespoons of Hoi Sin Sauce
3. One tablespoon of Vegetarian/ordinary oyster sauce
4. ½ teaspoon fish sauce
5. Pinch of freshly ground mixed pepper
6. Dash of sesame oil
7. Stalk of celery including leaves, and a spring onion - roughly sliced
8. One teaspoon chilli sauce of your choice (optional)
9. Two tablespoons of onion/vegetable/olive oil
10. 1/4 cup of warm water
11. Teaspoon of potato/corn flour, mixed well with a teaspoon of water (optional)
12. Sesame seed for garnish - amount, according to taste
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven on moderate heat, place aubergines in a single layer on an oven tray. Bake uncovered for ten minutes till lightly browned. Flip over and bake for a further ten minutes or more depending on the thickness of the aubergines. Turn the oven off but leave the aubergines in to keep warm. A good idea is to leave a serving dish in the oven to warm up too.
2. Moderate heat, two tablespoons of onion/vegetable/olive oil, fry the white parts of the spring onion together with a dash of ground mixed pepper till fragrant. Lower heat, add Hoi Sin, oyster, fish and chilli sauce, and fry gently for about a minute.
3. Increase heat to medium, add water, stir and mix well. If sauce is too watery, add solution of potato/corn flour mixture. Stir well. Add dash of sesame oil. Adjust seasoning. Add celery/spring onions.
4. Dredge aubergine pieces in the sauce and place on serving dish. Pour remaining sauce over aubergines.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving hot with plain rice.
Note:
1. Pre-heat oven first BEFORE slicing aubergines. Bake immediately without oil to prevent vegetable from discolouring.
2. Faster way, skip Method '4', simply pour sauce over assembled aubergines
