Cooking is basically the examine of water. It takes water to develop the whole lot, in fact, and so the quantity of water that continues to be in an ingredient after it’s harvested or butchered dictates the way it will warmth by within the pan, whether or not it can soften, seize, crisp, or caramelize. You’re including water while you use shares, vinegars, or alcohol. You’re creating obstacles to water with starches.
How you narrow substances and the order wherein you add them to the pan is about controlling how and once they launch the water inside them. Even the shapes of cooking vessels are about releasing or retaining moisture. When cooking with a wok, adjustments to water occur so shortly that split-second timing is important.–Brandon Jew & Teinlon Ho
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Deep fry thermometer
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Spider strainer
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Trim and discard eggplant ends. Lower eggplant into 1-inch (25 mm) thick wedges, by first slicing crosswise into equal-length chunks, roughly 3-inch (8 cm) lengthy. Then minimize every chunk in half lengthwise, repeatedly, to realize 1-inch thick wedges.
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In a big bowl, mix 1 quart (950ml) water and salt. Whisk till salt is dissolved. Submerge eggplant in brine and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
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About 20 minutes earlier than brining is completed, fill a 5-quart or bigger Dutch oven with oil and safe a deep-fry thermometer on the facet. Set over medium-high warmth and heat oil to 375°F (191°C).
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Whereas the oil is heating, in a small bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup water, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir till sugar is dissolved.
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Drain eggplant and place on paper towels to completely dry. Take care to take away all extra water. You do not need any water clinging to the eggplant while you add it to the new oil. Belief us on this one.
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Add sliced garlic to sizzling oil and fry till crisp and light-weight golden brown, about 30 seconds. Use a spider to take away them, place on paper towel to empty.
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When the oil temperature returns to 375°F (191°C), fastidiously slide the eggplant into the oil. Stir till eggplant has darkened and caramelized on the edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Whereas the eggplant is frying, place a dry wok or giant skillet over excessive warmth.
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Use a spider to elevate the eggplant from the Dutch oven, letting extra oil drain again into the Dutch oven.
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Place eggplant within the screaming sizzling wok. Instantly add chopped garlic and a lot of the chile rings (reserve a couple of for garnish), toss to mix. Pour in sauce and proceed to toss till the sauce thickens to a glaze and eggplants are browned on the edges, 2 to three minutes. Add a lot of the basil leaves and toss till wilted, about 20 seconds extra.
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Organize contents of the wok on a serving platter. Crumble fried garlic and scatter over the eggplant with the remainder of the basil and chile rings. Serve instantly.
Serving: 1 servingEnergy: 117 kcalCarbohydrates: 6 gProtein: 1 gFats: 10 gSaturated Fats: 1 gMonounsaturated Fats: 6 gTrans Fats: 1 gSodium: 4342 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 3 g
Diet data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2021 Brandon Jew | Tienlon Ho. Photograph © 2021 Pete Lee. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Critiques
Each summer season I look ahead to eggplant season, and I notably love the Asian varieties grown regionally. With comparatively quick-cooking (after brining) it is a good dish so as to add to the repertoire of summer season meals that received’t warmth the home up an excessive amount of. This recipe for Taiwanese-style eggplant offers you a comfortable, creamy eggplant that also holds its form for serving.
If you’ll be able to discover Thai basil, I extremely advocate it–the sharper taste and sturdier leaf will spherical this dish out properly. It is very important word that this recipe can be complemented finest if served with a number of different dishes (versus being a stand-alone), and it is best to ensure to incorporate one thing recent and crunchy, like a sesame cucumber salad, to steadiness the load of this dish.
Taiwanese-style eggplant is a pleasant preparation of eggplant, offering a pleasant distinction between the creaminess of the eggplant’s inside and the crunch of the fried garlic, complemented by the complexity of the sauce and the freshness of the basil. I served this dish with steamed rice and edamame, which made a pleasant, mild supper.
We develop small Chinese language-style eggplants in our backyard and are all the time in search of new recipes for them. I like eggplant however my husband doesn’t and he mentioned he would positively eat this once more. It might be nice with a pleasant scoop of jasmine rice or a full take-out fashion meal. This Taiwanese-style eggplant was spicy, salty, and candy and the eggplant was tremendous tender.
The one adverse is the variety of dishes concerned for the way easy the recipe is. In case you are establishing the frying station you may wish to make the most of the new oil and likewise fry one thing else. It’s comparatively simple, exhibits an effective way to make use of a vegetable that isn’t all the time liked by everybody and it had loads of flavors with only a few substances or prep.
We didn’t serve the eggplant with something as a result of we had been simply having a light-weight lunch, however thought it will be good over jasmine rice, or as one in every of a number of dishes if doing a bigger dinner. Beer would most likely be my drink of alternative. Perhaps a Japanese Sapporo.
