#ewew cooks Stir-Fried Brinjal with Sambal.....the Easy & Healthy Way

Mamma mia.....here we go again (and by that, I don't mean the movie!) with yet another MCO....MCO 2.0! >_<  Looks like we have to play masak-masak one more time...lol!  At least this time, everything appears calmer with no insane queues in supermarkets, mini markets or wet markets and no shortage of foodstuff (of my regular brands) as there are no less hoarders this time round.

So, perhaps it's an opportune time for me to share with you what I think it's the best way to cook brinjal.....that's not only the easiest....but also the healthiest.  Is this vegetable, which you can call by many names, brinjal, terung, eggplant or aubergine, among one of your favourite vegetables?  If it is, then you'd want to read on coz I'm sure everyone knows how to stir-fry brinjal...but not everyone knows the way to do it with the littlest of oil. ^_~

Before I stumbled onto this method of cooking brinjals, I used to slice them thinly and pan-fry them in as little oil as possible to get them to soften.  But the trouble is, it absorbs the oil you put in very quickly (even when I use a non-stick pan) and you end up adding more oil coz the pieces that don't get coated in oil tend to not soften.  You have to make sure you lay them in one layer in the pan and fry them under low heat to ensure they soften thoroughly (and not burn).  This was one way.

Some would deep-fry them (and this obviously would mean using more oil...and absorbing lots of it as a result).  That was another.  Yet another way would be to add water (or sauce) to braise them until they soften.  So, your brinjal dish could potentially end up with lots of braising liquid.  Or you could also air-fry them like what phonghongbakes did.

The final way would be to salt the brinjals, let it stand for about half an hour and then squeeze out the liquid from the brinjals.  This I learned from choiyen.com as she said it would reduce the braising time (and ultimately the braising liquid) since the salt helps to soften the brinjals.

But let me share with you what I think could be the best method which I tried only recently.  I've been roasting bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and potatoes often to make salads.  I remember liking the peppers the most as they'll turn out soft and sweet after roasting.  So, one day, I had an epiphany...lol!  If I can do that with peppers, why can't I do the same with brinjals?  Of course I had never thought of roasting brinjals coz they aren't a vegetable of choice (at least not my choice) in salads.

So, I sliced two medium-sized brinjals into sticks since I'm cooking them in the oven.  I've never cut them this way before.  I'd usually slice them thinly and diagonally to ensure they can soften.  Drizzle a little oil (like 2 tbsp) over it and mix/rub the brinjal sticks with your hands to ensure the pieces get coated with some oil.

Or you can use a spray bottle (which distributes the oil better than drizzling and mixing)...like this one I bought recently.  It took me a while to find the right ones coz the spray bottles were so cheap (only RM5.90 each!) that I'd have to get at least three to be entitled for free shipping (and I actually need only one).  I finally found a seller that offered a stainless steel version (at RM9.90), so I only need to buy two...and they also sell a funnel (RM1.70) which is great for filling up purposes since the opening of the bottle is so small.

Looking at the two, it was very obvious which one was the better quality.  The stainless steel one was much heavier with a better finishing overall (look nicer as well with the measurement markings).  Even the glass of the cheaper rose gold one didn't feel like it was actual glass (it sounds different when you clink on it).

I bought two different ones so that I can differentiate between the two, the stainless steel one for olive oil (which was the only one I actually needed) and the other rose gold one for my regular corn oil (might as well use it since I had two).  The latter I can use to spray my non-stick pan for frying stuff like luncheon meat and bacon which don't actually need oil.  Sorry for the digression, let's get back to my brinjal....hehe! ;P

Sprinkle a little salt over it if you like.  Otherwise, just stick it into your oven at 190°C and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until well soften.  You can test if it's tender enough by pricking it with a fork.  The oil gives a bit of charring to the brinjals (you can omit the oil altogether if you wish...and it will still soften).

Once you're happy with the softness, the brinjals are ready to be whipped up in a dish of your choice.  I like mine cooked with my own-made blended chilli paste (use more if you enjoy it spicier).  Just make sure you stir-fry the chilli paste in some oil slowly on low heat until fragrant.

While I'm frying the chilli paste on one side, I'm also frying the minced pork on the other (if you have a pan big enough).  This is what we call multitasking....huhu.  Once the chilli paste is fragrant and the minced pork cooked, combine the two together and season with salt.

Add in the roasted...and soft brinjal slices.  At this point, you can add in a little water if you like the vegetables a litter wetter.  I didn't coz this was one time when I could get away with not having to braise the brinjals since they were already soft from roasting.

Instead, I just drizzle in a little thick, dark soy for colour and also a bit of light soy for flavour.  Check that your seasoning is right and adjust accordingly to your taste bud.

And there you have it...my stir-fried brinjals with sambal that's guaranteed to be soft while done with the least amount of oil possible.  I find this to be the easiest, healthiest, not to mention tastiest way to cook brinjals.  I don't cook it any other way now since I tried it this way.

Once you've tried this method of roasting/baking them, you'd probably never want to deep-fry or pan-fry them in oil (so much work)...or steam/boil them in liquid/sauce ever again.

This is especially ideal when the brinjals are cooked in sambal coz you'd want it dry instead of it swimming in sauce....or, worst still, in oil! >_<

This dish tastes really good and I cook this often now...sometimes even without the minced meat.  It tastes just as good on its own but must cook it with some sambal paste-lah.  Great as a food prep dish too.  Just reheat it in the toaster oven and it's as good as the day you made it.

I implore you to try this at home...and, by that, I mean cooking the brinjals this way....you can thank me later? :P  I bet yours will taste even better than mine when done with your own-made sambal belacan.  Don't say I didn't share this wonderful...and very helpful cooking tip with you! ;)