Brinjals can be baked, fried, grilled or pickled and in some
cultures they are pureed and made into dipping sauces. We love eating it fried
with chilli bean sauce.
Brinjal or aubergine or eggplant (茄子) is a fruit related
to the tomato but is commonly considered as a vegetable. They come in
different shapes, sizes and colour too but the most common colour is purple. It
is a very low-calorie vegetable but contains an impressive array of many vitamins such as vitamins
C, K and B as well as minerals and fibre. It has a unique range of health benefits,
including an ability to help build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis, reduce
symptoms of anaemia, increase cognitive
function, improve cardiovascular health, protect the digestive system, help
lose weight, manage diabetes,
reduce stress, protect infants from
birth defects, and even prevent cancer. In
TCM all parts of the plant can be used to stop intestinal bleeding and the
fruit is used as an antidote in cases of mushroom poisoning. For Traditional
Malay Medicine, the ashes of the fruit are used in dry, hot poultices to treat
haemorrhoids. An Arab superstition is that the fruit has very high
"heating" property which may cause melancholia and madness. For this
reason, Malay and Indian women do not consume brinjal for the first 40 days
after giving birth.
Ingredients
3 small size brinjals
A small piece of chicken breast
2 tbsp chilli bean sauce
Mince the chicken breast and set aside.
Cut the brinjal into wedges just before cooking to prevent discoloration.
Some people suggest soaking the brinjal in salt water to prevent discoloration but it will cause a lot of oil splatter when being fried.
Heat up enough oil in the wok to completely cover the brinjal which can
absorb a lot of oil.
It may be necessary to fry the brinjal in 2 batches.
When the brinjal is slightly brown scoop up
and put into a sieve
Gently squeeze out the oil in the brinjal so
that the dish will not be too oily.
Leave a little oil in the wok and fry some
chopped garlic until fragrant.
Add
the minced chicken and stir to mix it into the oil.
When the meat has changed colour add 2 tbsp chilli
bean sauce and 1 tsp sugar.
Put in the brinjal and a little water.
Mix everything thoroughly.
Dish up and serve.
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