Braised Eggplant and Potatoes
A few days ago, I saw a blogger making Braised Eggplant and Potatoes while browsing videos. I studied the recipe of this dish by myself and unexpectedly it was very successful. Today, I will share the recipe with everyone.
What is Braised Eggplant and Potatoes?
Braised Eggplant and Potatoes is a very classic Chinese home-cooked dish. The ingredients used are extremely simple, only two kinds of ingredients, namely eggplant and potato. After being stewed, the eggplant can absorb the fragrance of the soup fully and tastes soft, glutinous and sweet. And the potato has a soft, glutinous and sweet taste after being stewed.
When cooking Braised Eggplant and Potatoes, seasonings such as soy sauce, salt, scallions, and garlic can be added for seasoning, which can help enhance the taste of the dish and make the soup thicker. This is a dish suitable for all ages.
Why do I like this recipe?
This dish is made in a restaurant style. The method is simple. All the ingredients can be quickly stir-fried in hot oil in a pot and then stewed to complete. In this process, a slightly crispy shell can be formed on the outside of the vegetables without batter, while maintaining a chewy texture inside.
When cooking at home, I try to avoid frying as much as possible. So I came up with some tricks to make dishes with less oil and simpler methods. These dishes will turn into beautiful colors, just like what you eat in restaurants.
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Main ingredients
Eggplant: It is the main ingredient of this dish, providing a soft and tender texture and abundant dietary fiber.
Potato: One of the main ingredients provides a soft and glutinous texture for the dish.
Side dishes
Green and red peppers: Add spiciness to the dish and at the same time increase bright colors to help increase the visual appeal of the dish.
Scallions: Provide a special aroma for the dish and enhance the flavor of the dish.
Seasonings
Salt: It is a seasoning to balance the taste of the dish.
Cooking wine: It has the effect of removing fishy smell and helps enhance the taste of the dish.
Substitutions
Eggplant: Can be replaced by cucumber or zucchini.
Potato: Can be replaced by pumpkin or yam.
Green and red peppers: Can be replaced by colorful peppers or tomatoes.
Cooking wine: Can be replaced by lemon juice, apple juice or orange juice.
Secrets to making the most delicious Braised Eggplant and Potatoes
Choose the right eggplant:
When making Braised Eggplant and Potatoes, please choose medium-sized eggplants that are firm but not hard. A good eggplant should have a bright purple skin, no wrinkles, and little or no brown spots. Defects indicate that the eggplant is old.
Process eggplant:
After cleaning the eggplant, be sure to remember to cut it into irregular pieces. Cut eggplant in this way can better absorb the soup and maintain the taste.
Choose the right potato:
Potatoes should also be fresh and have no wrinkles or defects on the skin. Only such potatoes will be soft and glutinous after being stewed.
Process potato:
For peeled and washed potatoes, they should be cut into uniform sizes to ensure even cooking. Cutting potatoes into uniform pieces helps prevent potatoes from becoming mushy while other potatoes are not cooked yet.
Stir-frying skills:
First, put the potatoes in the pot and fry until they change color, and form a layer of caramelized crispy skin on the surface.
Then put the eggplant in the pot and stir-fry. Use the eggplant to absorb the heat released by the potatoes, so that the eggplant can be softened more quickly.
Heat control:
When stir-frying Braised Eggplant and Potatoes, it is necessary to quickly stir-fry with medium heat in the early stage to ensure that the eggplant and potato are cooked.
After adding clear water, turn to low heat and simmer slowly to make the eggplant and potato fully soft and the soup rich.
Timing of seasoning:
Seasoning of Braised Eggplant and Potatoes is very important. Pour in cooking wine before adding clear water to remove fishy smell and increase fragrance.
Add salt for seasoning at the final stage of the dish to avoid the ingredients absorbing salt too early, resulting in an older taste and becoming salty.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
-
·250g eggplant
-
·150g potato
Accessories
-
·15g green pepper
-
·15g red pepper
-
·10g scallions
Seasonings
-
·3g salt
-
·10ml cooking wine
-
·50ml oil
-
·150ml clear water
Table of Contents
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Cut ingredients into pieces: Wash the eggplant and cut it into irregular pieces. Peel and wash the potato and cut it into uniform small pieces. Remove the seeds from the green pepper and cut the red pepper into diamond-shaped pieces for later use.
Step 2
Fry and stir-fry potatoes in hot oil: Pour 50 milliliters of oil into the pot and heat it over medium heat. Pour in the potato pieces and stir. Fry each side for 1 minute until the surface of the potato changes color.
Step 3
Add eggplant and stir-fry: After the potato changes color, quickly put the eggplant pieces into the pot and keep stir-frying to make the eggplant evenly heated. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
Step 4
Add ingredients and simmer: Pour in 10 milliliters of cooking wine to remove fishy smell and increase fragrance. Then add 150 milliliters of clear water, stir well, turn to low heat and simmer slowly. Cover the pot and simmer slowly for 10 minutes.
Step 5
Add double peppers and season: When the soup gradually becomes less and thicker, put the cut red and green peppers and sprinkle 3 grams of salt.
Step 6
Collect the juice and plate: Finally, stir-fry quickly for 2 minutes to make the soup thick. Take it out of the pot and plate it. Sprinkle with scallions for decoration and it is completed.
More delicious recipes worth trying
Delicious Braised Prawns Recipe
Recipe Variations
Pork mince: You can add some minced pork to stir-fry, which can increase the taste of the dish and increase nutrition.
Shiitake mushrooms: Mushrooms have a strong aroma. When stewing eggplant and potatoes, you can add some shiitake mushrooms to help increase the aroma of mushrooms.
Tofu: If you like tofu, you can also add some tofu cubes to make the dish more nutritious.
Shrimp and seafood: Of course, eggplant and potatoes can also be cooked with shrimps, which can help increase the taste of eggplant and potatoes.
Serving Suggestions
Recommended combinations
Rice: Braised Eggplant and Potatoes can be served with rice. After the rice absorbs the soup of Braised Eggplant and Potatoes, the taste is more intense.
Steamed buns: If you like pasta, steamed buns with Braised Eggplant and Potatoes. Steamed buns are full of soup and the taste is more abundant.
Cold dishes: In summer, Braised Eggplant and Potatoes are paired with cold dishes, such as cold cucumbers and cold fungus, which can balance the greasy feeling.
Stir-fried seasonal vegetables: Braised Eggplant and Potatoes has a strong taste and can be paired with stir-fried vegetables, such as spinach and stir-fried greens, to increase the color and nutrition of the table.
Millet porridge: Braised Eggplant and Potatoes paired with millet porridge is nutritious and helps digestion.
Serving suggestions
Eat in moderation: Although Braised Eggplant and Potatoes is delicious, pay attention to eating in moderation. Prevent excessive intake of calories, which is not good for health.
Eat while hot: Braised Eggplant and Potatoes tastes better when eaten while hot. The taste and flavor will change after cooling.
FAQs:
So after cutting the eggplant, it is best to soak it in salt water, which can effectively prevent the eggplant from turning black when in contact with the air.
So before stewing potatoes, it is best to cut the potatoes into larger pieces, and at the same time ensure that the potato pieces are of uniform size, so that the potatoes can be heated evenly.
It is recommended to add water strictly according to the proportion of the recipe, and observe the state of the soup from time to time during the stewing process; if the soup is found to be too thin, you can turn on high heat to slightly collect the juice to make the soup thicker.
So when stewing, you should adjust the amount of salt, cooking wine and other seasonings according to your taste. If conditions permit, you can add some ingredients such as onion, ginger and garlic to make the eggplant stewed with potatoes more delicious.
REVIEWS
