Vietnamese Eggplant with Shrimp Paste

I had a sweet surprise today when Tombee brought a cupcake home for me. I was really surprised at such a sweet gesture but now I'm terried at what it means. What man brings home a nice surprise for his girlfriend unless he's committed some horrible affront? Although sometimes I guess a cupcake could just be a cupcake but I'll still keep my eyes open O.O! It was delicious nonetheless! Anyway, we have a meeting tomorrow at 7:00PM so I had to make dinner for today and tomorrow so I've been running around like a chicken without its head. At least tomorrow I won't have to worry that we won't have anything to eat. Tonight's dinner was simple but filled with flavours that complimented each other well; we had vietnamese eggplant with shrimp and gochujang marinated sea bass. I overcooked the fish because I forgot I had the broiler on but the marinade was still yummy and penetrated the entire fish. I got the receipe for the eggplant from Wandering Chopsticks. Her blog is filled with delicious Vietnamese recipes and they deliver absolutely mouthwatering food! I've made the bo pho (beef pho) and the bo kho (beef stew) and if you ever want to try making either one of those, use her recipes because the effort is completely worth it! This recipe is a unique and impressive way to serve eggplant and the sweetness of the shrimp was echoed by the sweetness in the sweet chili sauce. The creaminess of the eggplant provided a good textural contrast against the cooked shrimp paste on top. If you like eggplant, you will absolutely love this dish!


The sweet gesture that tasted as yummy as it was sweet!


Eggplant with shrimp paste ready to be steamed

Vietnamese Eggplant with Shrimp Paste from Wandering Chopsticks

Ingredients
2 Japanese eggplants
20-30 prawns, shelled
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon oil

Serving Sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
fresh ground pepper

Directions
1. Cut the eggplants on a diagonal into 1"-2" slices, depending on how thick you want it. I sliced mine about 2" thick.
2. Place garlic cloves and prawns into food processor and process. Do not overmix. The consistency should be lumpy and like a paste.
3. Mix sesame oil into mixture and add some salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon, spread shrimp paste on each eggplant slice. Transfer slices to a heatproof plate.
5. Bring pot of water to boil with a steaming rack inside. Place heatproof plate onto steaming rack and steam for 12 minute at medium high heat.
6. Drain liquid that accumulated in plate.
7. Heat oil in pan and add eggplant slices. Fry each slice until bottom is golden brown. Remove to plate.
8. Mix together sauce ingredients and drizzle over eggplant slices. Serve hot and try not to share with anyone else.

Chili Garlic Eggplant with Shredded Bamboo Shoots

I love eggplant but I always have such a hard time cooking it. I've only cooked with the Japanese eggplants, the long, thin kind, and the one time I attempted Eggplant Parmesan using regular eggplants, I had to throw away the dish because it was so awful. With the Japanese eggplants, I like to steam them for a couple of minutes so that they soften but still maintain their shape. If I don't do this, I find that the eggplant never gets soft enough for my taste. I added shredded chili bamboo shoots because I had some in my fridge and I thought the chili bamboo shoots would go nicely with the chili sauce for the eggplant.


The jar of chili bamboo shoots I used.


A close up of the bamboo shoots.


Chili Garlic Eggplant with Shredded Bamboo Shoots

Ingredients
1lb Japanese eggplants
1/2 cup chili bamboo shoots
1 tablespoon oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1" knob of ginger, cut into tiny matchsticks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 cup water

Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon hot bean sauce

Directions
1. Place a steaming rack inside a wok or deep pot and fill with water to 3" below top of steaming rack. Bring to boil.
2. Cut eggplants into 3" long wedges and place inside a heatproof plate.
3. When water in wok boils, place plate with eggplant onto steaming rack and cover. Steam until eggplant is tender (a chopstick can easily be pierced through the skin) but still maintain their shape. Remove from wok.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant.
5. Add eggplant and stir fry for a minute.
6. Mix sauce ingredients together and add to pan.
7. Stir eggplant unti fully coated with sauce.
8. Add bamboo shoots and 1 teaspoon of oil from jar and mix until incorporated throughout.
9. Stir together cornstarch and water until cornstarch is dissolved and pour into pan.
10. Mix eggplant quickly until cornstarch slurry is absorbed and mixture has thickened and taken on a glossy appearance.
11. Serve and enjoy!