When I was a child, my mum forbade me to eat too much brinjal. Her reason was - "It's bad for the eyes!" I never thought of asking her to elaborate further because I would be deemed rude and disobedient then. Nevertheless, I still eat it and today I have to rely on a pair of 'extra' eyes! LOL!
I Used:
2 purple brinjals (don't seem to see green ones around for a while), sliced to size and leave to soak in salt water to prevent discoloration. Drain water before cooking.
2 to 3 tablespoons dried shrimps (hae bee/udang kering), soaked in water for a while and drain off. Use grinder and just pulse once to get it coarsely ground.
1 large onion, sliced or chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chilli paste (for nasi lemak)
Sliced red chillies, optional
Oil
water
What I Did:
1. Heat a little oil and fry onion, garlic and dried shrimps for a minute or so.
2. Add chilli paste, stir to mix.
3. Add brinjals and stir to mix before adding some water to cook. Do not add too much water at one go. Cover to simmer to cook. Check if more water is required from time to time.
4. Taste to find out if salt is required. I didn't add any salt as the chilli paste is already seasoned and the dried shrimps are quite salty.
5. Cook brinjals to your preferred softness. I like mine 3/4 cooked, not too mushy and with a little gravy.
I love brinjals but no chance to cook this as DH and kids are not fan of brinjals. I'm craving for some now!
ReplyDeletei was told that carrots aren't good for eyes....and they meant being poked in the eyes by carrots lol :D
ReplyDeleteSame goes to my grandaunt. She cooks brinjal, but she don't eat much of it. She said, eat when you're young, when you get older, eat less cos it makes the eyes blur.
ReplyDeleteShe could thread a needle at age 90.
Hahaha!!!
This is my favourite too! Have them all over the steamed rice....heavenly, isn't it!?
ReplyDeleteThis is my favourite way to cook brijal!!! Sambal, nice!
ReplyDeleteMmmm...delicious. I like it too...spicy and flavourful. But no one in my family likes brinjals. Sometimes I cook and enjoy it all alone.....happy me :D
ReplyDeleteHi Blessed Homemaker,
ReplyDeleteThe next time when I cook it, I send some over to you! :)
Hi Rita,
Haha! I'll try not to poke myself when I'm cooking carrot.
Hi Wendy,
I envy your grandaunt for her good eyesight. I'm practically going 'blind' for eating too much brinjal. ;P
Hi Angie,
I eat it with bread sometimes like a sandwich.
Hi Ellie,
Anything with sambal is always delish!
Hi Mary,
I always hope for leftovers after the meal so that I can eat more. :)
Love brinjals too, hehe... And dried shrimps are good for cooking with veggies. Delicious.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my all time favorite ways of cooking brinjal. I don't really like it when it's cooked in normal soy sauce way but I really love it this way!
ReplyDeleteI am not a huge fan of eggplant (absorbs a lot of oil while cooking) but at least I try to eat some now. I usually have them steamed then drizzle some sauce with minced ginger over.
ReplyDeleteNever heard about them being "bad" for the eyes but I heard they are no good for our skin. Oops, its reputation is not so good :O
My grandmother told us the same thing. The next time when you eat brinjals check your eyes the next morning. It will have a bit more of the sticky stuff (not sure what it's call)on it. I wonder if that is why our mother and grandmother said it will make our eyes blur ha ha..by I still love brinjal especially cook this way. No wonder I wear thick glasses ha ha..
ReplyDeleteI love brinjals cooked this way too! Yes,my mum very seldom made this dish, bad for the eyes like what you said. I don't cook this often too, but now I have 4 pairs of glasses and the power keeps on fluctuating!
ReplyDeleteWow, lovely eggplant dish...it sure looks delicious with the dry shrimps...yummie!
ReplyDeletenot true! coz I never eat brinjals last time and I'm still short sighted :p love the sauce, bet it's good to the last drop :)
ReplyDelete