Easy Chinese Eggplant

Chinese eggplant makes a great side dish. There is something about the long thin purple Chinese eggplants that I really love. They are tender and sweeter than traditional Italian type eggplants and cook faster. Eggplant and garlic is one of my favorite dishes when we eat at a Chinese restaurant . Actually, if I hadn't been introduced to this interesting vegetable in the Chinese restaurant, I doubt I would ever have tried it.

I've been shopping in an oriental type produce market lately, and they carry many of the ethnic vegetables of all cultures. They carry the traditional large purple eggplants, tiny little round eggplants on stems, and the long slim light purple Chinese variety that I used for this recipe. I made the recipe as a side dish for two people and used 3 eggplants. The eggplants are the size of a fat carrot. You eat the eggplants with the skin, so that makes the recipe even easier to make.

In the past, I've made the more traditional Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce, but today I wanted something a little different. I did not want to make a sauce with cornstarch. Instead I used garlic, balsamic vinegar and red wine. All of the alcohol cooks out, and the wine imparts a lovely flavor into the eggplant.

The side dish was very tasty sprinkled with some ground cumin. It brings out the flavor of the eggplant!  After all ,Mediterranean recipes always mix cumin and eggplant so I thought I would give it a try in this Chinese version. I guess you could say I made a very un-traditional Chinese eggplant dish. It worked great; the recipe was delicious. If you do not care for the taste of cumin, leave it out and season with some Chinese seasoning of your choice.

Ingredients: 

3 Chinese eggplants ( they are small about the size of a carrot)
2 Tablespoons of coconut oil or olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped
1 small onion, cut into 1/2 moons
1/4 balsamic vinegar
1/4 red wine
1/4 cup red wine
freshly cracked pepper
salt to taste
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/4 cup of chopped green onion ( scallion)

These are the 3 eggplants chopped

Eggplant before I put in the balsamic and wine

Directions:
Slice each eggplant down the center lengthwise, then cut on a diagonal into 6 or 7 large chunks depending on the size of your eggplants. Saute eggplant , garlic, and onions in skillet in coconut oil stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup wine and continue to cook until almost soft. Turn temperature up a little higher and add last 1/4 of wine and allow to cook out. Sprinkle with ground cumin powder and garnish with scallions.

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