Stir Fried Eggplant In Spicy Garlic Sauce

 Topeka used to have the most incredible Chinese restaurant that I loved.  Unfortunately,  a few years back it closed, as the owner wished to retire and could not find anyone to take it over.   There were two things especially that I miss and, so far, have not been able to duplicate, their hot and sour soup and their eggplant in garlic sauce.  I have tried recipe after recipe, and none come close.   This is one that I have developed from a couple of different recipes I've tried, using a couple techniques and the ingredients I remember.    This may not be the dish I was wanting, but it is a very good one and I am pleased to share it.   I really like it a lot.     

2 eggplants, washed, stemmed and cut into 1- 2 inch pieces (bite sized)

1 bunch green onions, white part removed and sliced

green onion tops chopped and reserved separately

2-3 green peppers, cores and stems removed, cut into bite size pieces

5-10 garlic cloves (or as many as you wish), peeled, finely chopped and divided into half

3-4 tbsp. Cornstarch

vegetable oil (amounts may vary)

Sauce mix:

5 tbsp. Light soy sauce

4 tbsp. Dark soy sauce if available (if not, add more of the light soy sauce)

3 tbsp vinegar, either rice or Chinese or cider

1 ½ cup water or broth

2 tsp. Corn starch

½ of the chopped garlic from above

1 tsp dried ginger

2-3 tbsp. Crushed red pepper

2 tbsp sugar or to taste

1 tbsp sesame oil or to taste (I like a bit more)

Put all of the sauce mixture in a bowl and stir until the cornstarch and sugar are dissolved and set aside. Before adding to the pan give it a good stir.

Put the eggplant cubes in a large bowl and sprinkle with the 2-4 tbsp of cornstarch, mix well and set aside.

Heat a large wok or deep skillet or a large Dutch oven, when very hot, add 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil and then add about 1/3 of the eggplant cubes. Allow to brown lightly on one side then stir and allow to brown a bit on the other side. It won't take long and it isn't necessary that all brown evenly. Remove to a large bowl, add more oil and add another third. Once all are lightly browned, add 2-3 more tablespoon of oil, then add the white parts of the onion and the the remaining chopped garlic, stir fry very quickly until fragrant and then add the green peppers, all at once. Stir fry until they look very glossy, then return the eggplant to the pan, stir around, then finally add the sauce mixture and stir until it thickens and coats the vegetables. Allow to sit a minute or two, then top with the chopped green onion tops. If you wish you can add a bit more sesame oil.

Serve with rice if you wish. I have also seen variations of this dish made with ground pork or other meat. If you wish to try that, use about 8 ounces of ground meat, adding it with the garlic and white parts of the onions, and cook until done, then add the green pepper cubes.

If you wish it to be more saucy, I would add another cup of water or broth.

I have made this with both fresh and dried powdered ginger and decided I like it better with the dried ginger. It seems to mix better with the other flavors. If you wish to use fresh, chop a tablespoon or two very finely and fry with the garlic and onions instead of in the sauce mix. 

 

 

 

Stir Fried Leeks and Mushrooms

 2 leeks, peeled, cleaned and sliced

1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

about 2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 pound lean pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

oil for stir frying

 Marinade for the pork:  3 tbsp soy or tamari sauce, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger, 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp of cornstarch.   Mix this all together well, then add the pork cubes, making sure all the pork is covered with the marinade.   Set aside for at least 10 minutes. 

 An additional 3 cloves of chopped garlic and 3 tbsp chopped ginger, set aside

Heat a wok or large deep skillet then add about 3 tbsp oil and swirl it around the pan.  Add the mushrooms and onion, stir fry it until the mushrooms begin to brown a bit.  Remove to a large bowl, then add the leeks.   Stir fry the leeks until they too start to  brown, then remove them to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Add an additional 3 tbsp of oil to the walk, swirl it around and then add the pork.  Stir fry the pork until it is all white and starting to look done.  It won't take very long,  add the remaining garlic and ginger, along with 1 tsp of sesame oil, and fry until fragrant.  Return the vegetables to the pan, mix all together and then allow it to sit a minute or two before eating.   

Mama's Chop Suey

The holidays are a time when many of us remember and try to recreate family traditions.   This is one of my family's traditions, that was much loved and looked forward to at large family gatherings.   I grew up in a small town in southeast Missouri.  When I was a kid back in the 60's any kind of foreign foods were a rare and unusual treat.  For us pizza was bread dough covered with plain tomato sauce, ground beef, onion and grated American cheese on top.  Somehow my mom was given a recipe for something called chop suey.  It was unusual, it was tasty and something easy to make for a crowd.  It may have been faux Chinese, but we didn't know any better and we all loved it.   We still do, although we hadn't eaten it since my mom died 20+ years ago. 

This weekend my older sister is passing through town on her way to my brother's in southeast Missouri.  She and her husband are stopping in Topeka to spend the night at my younger sister's.    I told my local sister that I wanted them all over my place for supper and asked what I should make.   Jokingly I said, mama's chop suey?   My brother in law immediately said YES!!!!  So that is what I am making.   My sister had the recipe so she emailed it to me.   I tweaked it a tiny bit (a lot less black pepper than mama used, fresh mushrooms instead of sliced, a can of bamboo shoots, she didn't drain the canned vegetables, I do to cut down on sodium).     But I did want to share this recipe.     "Real" Chinese it isn't, but tasty it is.   And for me and siblings, it brings back those days of innocence when we were all young and excited about mama making something exotic.   Enjoy!

Mother’s Chop Suey

1 pound cubed lean beef
1 pound cubed lean pork
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups diced celery
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. bead molasses
4 cups water or broth (I used unsalted vegetable stock)

In a large Dutch oven, brown the meats in a small amount of oil, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the meat is tender.   Then add the following:

2 cans drained bean sprouts
1 can drained sliced water chestnuts
1 can drained sliced bamboo shoots
1 small jar diced pimentos

Heat all together until boiling.   Thicken to taste with a slurry of cornstarch and water.    Serve with either rice of chow mein noodles. 

Fried Rice

I love Chinese food, but it is something I just have not had much luck making at home.   Even the simple fried rice has eluded me, until now.   I recently came across a recipe for a homestyle fried rice (which I adapted to what I had on hand) that turned out just the way I had imagined it would and how I dreamed it would.   I like to pair this with the honey glazed pork I posted earlier in the blog.   I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

2 ½ tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 in. piece ginger root, peeled and chopped

2 eggs, beaten

¼ tsp. sesame oil

¼ tsp soy sauce

1 cup peas

1 cup carrots

1/2 onion, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced on the diagonal

4 cups cooked rice, cooled

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Pour 1 tbsp. oil in a nonstick pan, then add the finely chopped celery, chopped onions, ginger and garlic then cook until starting to brown a bit.  Remove from pan and set aside.   Let the pan cool a bit and while it does so, combine the following:  the egg, ¼ tsp. sesame oil and ¼ tsp. soy sauce.   Add ½ tsp of the oil to the pan and then pour in the egg mixture, spreading it thinly over the bottom of the pan.   Scramble until done.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and return the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan, with the sliced onion, sliced celery, peas and carrots.   Stir fry for a minute or two, then add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 3 minutes.   Add the cooked eggs and toss for another minute, allow to sit covered for 5-10 minutes, then serve.

For the peas and carrots, I just use a small bag of frozen peas and carrots, thawing in warm water, then draining well.   If you want to add some chicken, just stir fry some chopped fresh chicken when you stir fry the sliced onion, celery, peas and carrots.   For beef or pork, chop some leftover cooked beef or pork and add when you would add the vegetables.   For shrimp, add them at the very last, when you add the rice.   Cook until the shrimp are just pink, they will continue to cook when the fried rice is resting. 

Chinese Honey Glazed Pork

I never have been very good at recreating Chinese recipes at home.   They taste "ok", but nothing really all that special.   However I recently came across a very simple recipe that sounded incredible, so decided to try it.   I took a basic recipe and made some changes.   It turned out fantastic.   Aaron loved it too.   Here is what I came up with.

1 1/2 pounds of boneless pork loin chops
(leave whole or slice or cut into cubes)

1/3 cup rice wine
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. grated or finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped or 1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 green onions, washed and trimmed, then finely chopped

Spray cooking spray on a large skillet, then heat over medium heat.   When heated add the pork and fry until well browned (if using whole pork chops, cook about 2-3 minutes on each side).   When well browned, remove from the skillet and set aside.  While the pork is cooking, mix together everything except the green onions.   When you remove the pork from the skillet, add this mixture and simmer about 3 minutes.   Return the pork to the skillet and continue cooking until the liquid thickens and turns into a nice glaze.    Add the green onions and remove from heat.   Serve with steamed or fried rice.

If you don't care for pork, use diced raw chicken in place of the pork.   Everything else would be the same.