Eggplant in Chilli Bean Sauce

Eggplant, brinjal, aubergine - whatever you prefer to call it, is a yummy edible fruit that is related to the potato and tomato. Depending on how long it has been cooked, it can be springy or be smooth and silky.

I used to dislike eggplant when I was little, but as often is the case, I grew to like it very much when I got older. One of my oft used recipe with eggplant is cooking it in chilli bean sauce.

One of my new year resolution to cook as many vegetarian recipes as possible for a healthier alternative so I have decided to substitute minced meat for vegetarian mince (made with mushrooms) and vegetarian oyster sauce.

Vegetarian minced meat, chilli bean sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, eggplant and sugar.

Most restaurants would fry the eggplant before tossing it in the sauce but since we hardly ever use large quantities of oil in the house, I just part pan fry and part steam (pan fry with a covered pan) the egg plant till it is soft. Eggplant is notorious for being a sponge - it can absorb incredibly large amounts of oil when fried.

Resulting dish of eggplant in chilli bean sauce. So... how does this dish taste compared to its meaty counterpart? I do somewhat miss the taste that minced pork would have brought to this dish. I found the vegetarian mince to be somewhat salty. The texture of the mince was mushy. Instead, the eggplant has a sturdier texture compared to the vegetarian mince and so has become the 'meat' of this dish. Overall, it still closely resembles the original dish with minced pork, just with more added sugar to counterbalance the saltiness of the chilli bean paste and vegetarian mince.