Boiled Aubergine With Crispy Garlic, Dried Shrimp Served On Beansprouts

I don't know what happened lately that caused my home to be like pigeon nest. That's what my sister said to me LOL. I guessed what she meant was there's non-stop of guests at my home just like pigeons to their nests... hmmm... I don't know where she got that phrase from. Anyway, this situation tells me it's time to move to bigger space!So, tomorrow's going to be noisy and busy day but for tonight's dinner, I have left over of japanese aubergine (again... :-P). I bought a lot because the price was very cheap plus it's organic! Yesterday, I bought some juicy and crunchy beansprouts and some silken tofu (not sure what to do with the tofu yet.) Already, I baked and grilled the gorgeous small japanese aubergine aka Nasu. There's 1 method I didn't use for quite sometime - boiling. It's one of my mom's favourite ways dealing with aubergine besides charcoal roasting on top of her faithful portable terracotta stove with a small square opening at the base (I like making 'firework' with that stove LOL.)

With what I have from the fridge and short of time for dinner, this was what I came up with for quick yet light meal.

Boiled Aubergine With Crispy Garlic, Dried Shrimp Served On Beansprouts

Serves 2-4

2-4 nos Japanese Aubergines (Nasu)

5 cloves Garlic

10 g Dried Shrimps

100 g Beansprouts

1 nos Red Capsicum (Bell Pepper) or 1 Red Chilli

1 stalk Spring Onion

Some Shoyu or Light Soy Sauce

Some Oil

Method:

1. Washed the vegetables and toss them dry. Cut the aubergines into halves at last minute before boiling them. Slice the spring onions. Set aside.

2. Soak the dried shrimps to remove some saltiness for 1-2 minutes. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper and set aside.

3. Minced the garlic finely and chop the capsicum into

4. In a small pan, pour in 1/4 cup of oil and when it's hot add in the dried shrimps. Fry until fragrant and crispy. Remove and drain the excess oil with kitchen paper. Set aside.

5. In a pot, boiled some water with some salt. When it boils, add the beansprouts. Blanch the beansprouts for few seconds. Remove quickly and arrange on a serving dish/plate.

6. With same water, add in the aubergine halves and boil them until soften. Remove from pot and drain. Arrange aubergine halve on top of beansprouts.

7. Sprinkle the chopped capsicum and the fried dried shrimps on the boiled vegetables.

8. Now, this maybe a bit tricky... because you need to do fast before your garlic burnt.

In the pan that you fried the dried shrimp, add extra cooking oil; another 1/4 cup or just enough for the boiled vegetables. When oil is hot again, add in the minced garlic. Fry the garlic until fragrant and crispy but not burnt.

Remove the pan from heat and with the garlic crisps still frying in the oil, pour all the contents all over the boiled vegetable. Yep, the vegetables will sizzles, don't worry :-D

9. Sprinkle sliced spring onions and drizzle generous amount of light soy sauce. Sniff and enjoy with hot rice or or a bowl of noodles.

Note: If you can't find dried shrimps, you can substitute it with minced fried salted fish of your choice eg. bacalhau, dried whitebait (shirasu), dried anchovy...

This dish may sound difficult at first but once you got your own method to fry quickly and pouring the garlic oil over the vegetables, is easy and fast to make. To eat it just stir or mix the ingredients. You will notice that it's not oily at all. I love the gravy with plain white rice. :-)

Enjoy!

Shiitake No Nimono (Shiitake Simmered in Soya Sauce)

Ok... I know I'm a bit mushroom crazy this week but I can't help to share those lovely fungi with foodie friends! When you got the chance to buy them at half-price and with extra added to the box, the temptation's to great to be missed... :-D

One of my favourite mushrooms is definitely Shiitake, either fresh or dried. It's a must-have ingredients in Asian cooking mainly in Chines

e and Japanese kitchens. You can cook them just like fresh ones and still maintained its shapes. Another good reason to have dried Shiitake at hand is to make stock with the liquid after soaking the dried mushrooms. I like to add some of it and the strained liquid as well in mushroom soup - just a bit will do to give that pungent mushroomy flavour.

A interesting remark from my Japanese friend is that they preferred dried shiitake better than fresh ones. In Japan it's very expensive compared to fresh Shiitake. Dried Shiitake has more concentrated and superior flavour. I totally agreed with them!

Have a try on dehydrated mushrooms snacks that comes in plain/natural flavour or with wasabi added. It's sooooo yummy!

Shiitake No Nimono

6-8 Large Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

375 ml Dashi II or Konbu Dashi II (recipes below)

2 Tbl Mirin

2 Tbl Sake

2 Tbl Japanese Soya Sauce

1 Tbl Dark Brown Sugar

1. Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain well. Discard the stems.

2. Combine the dashi, mirin, sake, soya sauce and sugar in a small pan over high heat. Stir the mixture until sugar has dissolved. Bring to boil.

3. Add the shiitake. Bring it to boil again and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour or until the liquid almost evaporated.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature as side dish, part of multicourse, snack or over rice. You can use it in cawan mushi or with noodles - slice thinly or quartered.

Serves 4-6 portions.

Note: I usually reserved the liquid after soaking shiitake. You can use it for this dish to get that rich concentrated flavour which I did or add into your favourite mushroom soup recipes. Just remember to filter/sieve the liquid.

Itadikimasu!

: Making of Dashi Stocks :

For Dashi II

10 cm (4 in) square of konbu

20 g (1 cup) katsuoboshi (bonito flakes)

1. Wipe konbu with a damp cloth but don't rub off the white powdery substance that will become obvious as it dries. Cut the konbu into strips.

2. Place konbu & 1.5 L (6 cups) cold water into a saucepan and slowly bring it to boil. Quickly add 60 ml (1/4 cup) cold water to stop the boiling process. Add the bonito flakes. Allow it to boil again and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Allow the bonito flakes to sink to the bottom of pan. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve. This stock is ready for stews and thick soups. 

Makes 1 L (about 4 cups)

For Konbu Dashi

15 cm (6 in) square piece of konbu

1. For Konbu Dashi I, cut konbu into strips and place them in a saucepan with 1.5 L cold water. Bring to boil, then remove the konbu.

2. For Konbu Dashi II, leave the konbu in the pan, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes longer.

Makes about 1.5 L (5 cups)