Figuring out what to cook always is a struggle. My first instinct is to Google a recipe, but search results vary so much. The really great recipes are nestled deep in cookbooks or in the minds of grandmas not yet transcribed.
When I google recipes, I try to use some reference point. Today I googled “Fuschia Dunlop eggplant.”
You might ask, “Who is Fuschia Dunlop?”. I first saw some Caucasian lady speak super fluently about Chinese food in David Chang’s “Ugly Delicious.” She also had an updated version of The Food of Siuchan, which is one of the perennial cookbooks on Siuchan style food.
I was brought to a random blog with a steamed eggplant recipe, where this quote really resonated with me:
STEAMING BRINGS OUT a gentle, unfamiliar side to a vegetable that is more commonly fried, baked or grilled”
Fuschia Dunlop
Luckily I bought a bamboo steamed from San Francisco, so here we go!
Recipe:
- Put some water on the bottom of the instant pot
- Get some parchment paper and cut mini holes so steam can go through
- Slice Chinese eggplant thinly and put in on top of the parchment paper, in the steaming tray with the lid.
- Steam with no pressure with the valve released for 20 minutes
Soy Sauce Mixture
- Chop green onion and cilantro. It should be a ratio of 5:1 green onion to cilantro
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (if you have sweet soy sauce you can omit this)
- Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
After the steaming is done, put eggplant in a plate. Sauce the soy sauce mixture over it.
Heat up 2 tablespoons of hot oil an pour it over the eggplant mixture (very similar to cooking the Soy Sauce Steamed Fish)
