Comments on: Spicy Eggplant, Revisited

By: iska

iska — Tue, 22 May 2007 02:50:36 +0000

They do have something very much similar to your dish here in Beijing. They use dry sliced red chili… a lot!

By: Crissy

Crissy — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:25:08 +0000

Love this dish ! I am based in Doha where pork is not available – do you think using minced beef will do justice to this dish ? Also, what’s a good substitute for Shaoxing rice wine. Thanks.

By: math

math — Thu, 10 May 2007 09:11:19 +0000

I use the ma po tofu mix for this one. It goes well w/ this dish too!

By: bernadette

bernadette — Thu, 10 May 2007 05:10:27 +0000

I like cooking with eggplants especially with gata…but find it quite time-consuming when it comes to other dishes. My husband finds the skin quite rubbery or a nuisance so I usually grill it first or boil to take the skin out. Your recipe sounds very good and even very economical. We have lots of sili (haba and liit) in our garden so that answers for half of the ingredients. It is so good to be learning the origins of a simple recipe such as this…parang home study in culinary arts :-)!

By: Marketman

Marketman — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:13:49 +0000

keli, I have several modestly costed meals throughout my archives, just browse under recipes for homemade tapa, tocino, beefsteak, tofu or tokwa and vegetables, vegetables, etc. Apicio, we like Ma Po Taofu as well…and I have to admit, I sometimes use a ready made spice mix when I make it! marosee, yuo are right, eggplants are a bit of a nutrition airhead, but at least they have fiber… Danney, I once had a eggplant and gata dish in Legaspi that was excellent, you might like it…

By: danney

danney — Wed, 09 May 2007 17:24:55 +0000

I love eggplant. Everytime I go home for vacation in the Philippines, I always ask my family to cook me pritong talong with soy sauce, onions and potato cooked like bistek tagalog. Simple food but one of my comfort foods. There is a nice Chinese restaurant (its actually fastfood) on the top floor of Horton Plaza in San Diego and they always serve spicy szechuan eggplant. I think they fried the eggplant first with a bit of soy sauce before mixing it with the rest near the end. Very tasty!! Another one that I’ve tried is eggplant lasagna and it is very good too. I’m intrigue though how to cook sliced eggplant with cheese on top and covered with bread crumbs.

By: Maria Clara

Maria Clara — Wed, 09 May 2007 16:27:22 +0000

Unassuming eggplant finds its way in elegant Chinese lauriat banquet through this vehicle. Getting it ala carte at a Chinese restaurant is murder. The most expensive eggplant you pay for with a handful of ground pork bath in oyster sauce with sprints of sesame oil — if you get lucky peppered with sesame seeds. Chinese Vegan bistro prepares this dish with tofu. It is also very good.

By: marosee

marosee — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:55:48 +0000

this dish is really good.. we’ve been making it since my mom tried it in chinatown’s best and it’s always been a bestseller..even if they say that eggplants don’t have that much nutritional value.

By: Apicio

Apicio — Wed, 09 May 2007 11:05:15 +0000

Recipes such as this, flavourful although made out of common and inexpensive ingredients is what mothers in China have been whipping up for their families since the beginning of time. Noticed its resemblance to my favorite dish Ma Po Taofu. Ma Po is usually translated in English as Pock Marked Woman, I guess what my own mother would call â€œbulutongga.â€

By: Pilar

Pilar — Wed, 09 May 2007 09:24:33 +0000

This is our favorite viand in Hong Kong specially when winter strikes in. It goes well with congee and noodles too. My kids love it so much. Lately, I hae been using Amoy brand of spicy eggplant sauce. It works well too. But not with Lee Kum Kee brand since the eggplant doesn’t taste that good.