Steamed Eggplant with Garlic Chili

Besides Roasted Eggplant/Brinjal with Garlic and Spicy Chili Eggplant/Brinjal, steamed eggplant/brinjal is also my go-to eggplant/brinjal preparation whenever I want to put together something easy, quick, healthy and delicious.

Today, this Steamed Eggplant with Garlic fits the bill of being easy, quick, healthy and delicious.

Asian eggplant variety such as Chinese eggplant and Japanese eggplant which have thin delicate skin and sweeter flesh are more suitable for steamed eggplant dishes.

This time, I tried a simpler and easier way to prepare/cook eggplants - to steam them whole or in huge chunks/halves, then prepare (shred or tear them) into desired smaller lengths-portions before topping them with homemade garlic, green onion, chili sauce-dressing.


The advantage of steaming them whole/halves is to minimize surface area exposed to oxidation. Typically, when eggplant is cut to shorter lengths or smaller cubes, these smaller portions are soaked in water (with salt) to prevent oxidation. However, since they are steamed whole or huge chunks, oxidation will also be minimized, hence the "soaking" step is skipped.


Steamed Eggplant with Garlic Dressing
Ingredients:
2 medium-size Chinese eggplant, lightly rinsed
3-5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red chili, thinly sliced
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions: Steam eggplant whole for 5-8 mins (shorter time for small eggplant, adjust timing accordingly). Remove eggplant from steamer and set aside to allow them to cool down. Shred/prepare them into desired lengths by "tearing" them to thinner slices, and set on a plate. Place garlic, green onions and chili in a bowl, warm cooking oil in a ladle over stove till oil is hot. Pour hot oil over garlic, onions, chili mixture. Add soy sauce and chili sauce into the garlic mixture, mix well, then gentle pour the dressing over the steamed eggplants