You would have heard of eggplant, aubergine and brinjal. They all refer to the same; eggplants is used in North America while aubergine in Europe and the UK and brinjal in South Asia and South Africa. While the eggplant is generally thought of as a vegetable, it is actually a fruit (interesting!). But it is usually eaten as a cooked vegetable.
I usually buy the long brinjal for stir-frying, deep-frying or braising and the round ones for cooking curry. Stir-frying the brinjal in bean paste is one way that I often cook at home.
Ingredients:
- 1 brinjal, about a foot long
- 2-3 chili padi, chopped
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons of minced bean paste
- Cooking oil
- (Optional) 1 sprig of spring onions, chopped
Method:
- Wash and cut the brinjal lengthwise into 4 quarters.
- Then cut each quarter into smaller pieces diagonally.
- Place the brinjal into a metal plate.
- Bring water to boil in a steamer.
- Steam the brinjal tilll they are soft.
- Remove the plate of brinjal from the steamer. Set it aside.
- Heat up some oil in the work.
- Saute the garlic when the oil is hot till fragrant.
- Add in the chili padi. Stir.
- Add in the minced bean paste. Stir till it becomes darker.
- Add in the brinjal. Stir to mix it up well with the bean paste.
- Dish up. (Optional: Sprinkle the chopped spring onions on it.)