I wanted to make these lotus root cakes for dinner tonight but the supermarkets I went to were all out of lotus roots (and i went to TWO).
So.... As I walked down the supermarket aisle wondering what I was going to do, I saw a flash of purple: eggplant. I love eggplant. I've featured two different ways of using eggplant in this blog so far, so here's a third:
Miso-glazed eggplant
Eggplant is really such a versatile vegetable, and it's pretty!! Plus it's really good for you. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say it's low in calories, high in fibre and chockfull of vitamins.
The eggplant I used was pretty big so I divided the recipe by 3 and the glaze was just enough. Though I have to say it's not so much a glaze as it is a thick sauce. I used pre-seasoned miso because that was all I had on hand, though i know shiro miso would have been a much better fit. Didn't use that much oil too, I sliced the eggplant into quarters and just rubbed them with a little olive oil... Pan seared them because I was too lazy to broil them, but I did pop them into the toaster oven so that the sauce would caramelise a little. Garnished with a little sesame oil, raw sesame seeds (calcium!!) and spring onions.
I call them "steaks" because it really felt like I was eating a cut of meat; the eggplant is very filling and I felt good after I was done- the eggplant is "heavy" enough to make you feel like you had a full meal, yet light enough so that you don't feel gross after you're done.
Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Monday, December 27, 2010
Fuss-free big bowl meals
I decided to write a post about my favourite big bowl meals today.
What are big bowl meals?
Essentially they are meals where you throw everything into one bowl and you have your meal. Fuss-free (because i am a student fuss-free is ESSENTIAL) and all you need is a spoon and you’re set.
BOWL 1. Quinoa with potatoes, asparagus and onions
BOWL 2. Sushi bowl
BOWL 3. Kimchi fried rice with seaweed strips and sesame seeds (I use short grain brown rice for roughage, and apparently raw sesame seeds are so much better for us, but it’s up to you!)
BOWL 4. Short grain brown rice with grilled eggplant with teriyaki sauce and seaweed strips (I used commercially produced seaweed rice sprinkles for more flavour) - A/N: Be careful with how much teriyaki sauce you use, at a hundred calories a serving don’t go overboard! Also, if you don't like eggplant, corn works as a great substitute!
BOWL 5. Short grain brown rice with chinese preserved radish omelette and leafy greens in oyster sauce - this was my favourite quick meal growing up; even till today this combination is comfort food for me. Tried to find a recipe online but none of those that came up were to my liking. Chinese cooks tend to approximate portions, so just eyeball everything.
Easy Chinese preserved radish omelette
Minced garlic
Preserved radish (chopped)
2 eggs (beaten)
Vegetable oil for frying
Pepper to taste
1. Rinse the radish to get rid of some of the salt; it’s still gonna be really salty so there’s no need to add salt. Squeeze to remove excess water.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in the wok/frying pan, sauté the garlic till browned, then add the preserved radish and sauté till fragrant.
3. Spread the radish out uniformly in the pan, so that it forms an even layer (wow writing coherent cooking instructions is really hard), then pour the beaten egg over it.
4. Flip the omelette when one side is done, and cook the other side.
5. Season with pepper when done.
As for the leafy greens in oyster sauce, it’s just a combination of vegetable oil, minced garlic, vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces, oyster sauce, and pepper to taste: Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan, add minced garlic and sauté till browned. Throw in the leafy greens and cook till they are a little wilted, then add oyster sauce and a little water if you don't want it to be too salty. Season with pepper and serve.
If you want soup to go along with the big bowl meals, a couple of spoons of miso paste that has been pre-seasoned with dashi and bonito in boiling water will give you a quick, fuss-free soup. Fuss-free really is my buzz-word today :DDD
What are big bowl meals?
Essentially they are meals where you throw everything into one bowl and you have your meal. Fuss-free (because i am a student fuss-free is ESSENTIAL) and all you need is a spoon and you’re set.
BOWL 1. Quinoa with potatoes, asparagus and onions
BOWL 2. Sushi bowl
BOWL 3. Kimchi fried rice with seaweed strips and sesame seeds (I use short grain brown rice for roughage, and apparently raw sesame seeds are so much better for us, but it’s up to you!)
BOWL 4. Short grain brown rice with grilled eggplant with teriyaki sauce and seaweed strips (I used commercially produced seaweed rice sprinkles for more flavour) - A/N: Be careful with how much teriyaki sauce you use, at a hundred calories a serving don’t go overboard! Also, if you don't like eggplant, corn works as a great substitute!
BOWL 5. Short grain brown rice with chinese preserved radish omelette and leafy greens in oyster sauce - this was my favourite quick meal growing up; even till today this combination is comfort food for me. Tried to find a recipe online but none of those that came up were to my liking. Chinese cooks tend to approximate portions, so just eyeball everything.
Easy Chinese preserved radish omelette
Minced garlic
Preserved radish (chopped)
2 eggs (beaten)
Vegetable oil for frying
Pepper to taste
1. Rinse the radish to get rid of some of the salt; it’s still gonna be really salty so there’s no need to add salt. Squeeze to remove excess water.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in the wok/frying pan, sauté the garlic till browned, then add the preserved radish and sauté till fragrant.
3. Spread the radish out uniformly in the pan, so that it forms an even layer (wow writing coherent cooking instructions is really hard), then pour the beaten egg over it.
4. Flip the omelette when one side is done, and cook the other side.
5. Season with pepper when done.
As for the leafy greens in oyster sauce, it’s just a combination of vegetable oil, minced garlic, vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces, oyster sauce, and pepper to taste: Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan, add minced garlic and sauté till browned. Throw in the leafy greens and cook till they are a little wilted, then add oyster sauce and a little water if you don't want it to be too salty. Season with pepper and serve.
If you want soup to go along with the big bowl meals, a couple of spoons of miso paste that has been pre-seasoned with dashi and bonito in boiling water will give you a quick, fuss-free soup. Fuss-free really is my buzz-word today :DDD
Monday, March 8, 2010
Eggplant and garlic spread
I've been crazy over a particular recipe lately.
If you love eggplant, you’re gonna love this; I got it from Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook by Carole Raymond. It features easy, quick recipes perfect for the lazy, hungry, broke vegetarian student, like me! This recipe has a lot more garlic in it because I love the garlicky flavour; if you don't like garlic that much, cut the garlic down to 1 clove only.
Eggplant and garlic spread
1 eggplant (approx. 1 pound)
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons onion, minced
Salt and pepper
I didn’t follow her instructions exactly; I pricked the eggplant all over with a fork, sliced it into half and zapped it in the microwave till soft. Then I scooped the flesh out and threw the eggplant flesh, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and onion into the blender. When it was done I seasoned it with salt and pepper to taste. Makes things a lot easier; you don’t have to mince the garlic cloves and onions! I hate mincing. Mincing is terribly tedious. The blender is my best friend!
If you love eggplant, you’re gonna love this; I got it from Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook by Carole Raymond. It features easy, quick recipes perfect for the lazy, hungry, broke vegetarian student, like me! This recipe has a lot more garlic in it because I love the garlicky flavour; if you don't like garlic that much, cut the garlic down to 1 clove only.
Eggplant and garlic spread
1 eggplant (approx. 1 pound)
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons onion, minced
Salt and pepper
I didn’t follow her instructions exactly; I pricked the eggplant all over with a fork, sliced it into half and zapped it in the microwave till soft. Then I scooped the flesh out and threw the eggplant flesh, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and onion into the blender. When it was done I seasoned it with salt and pepper to taste. Makes things a lot easier; you don’t have to mince the garlic cloves and onions! I hate mincing. Mincing is terribly tedious. The blender is my best friend!
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