My 18-year-old daughter Sam loves eggplants. Broiled, grilled, boiled, peeled or unpeeled. Her younger sister Alex balks at eggplants. She doesn’t like the slimy texture so she stays away from them. She prefers leafy vegetables (kangkong has got to be her favorite) and starchy vegetables like squash and potatoes. We’ve been encouraging Alex to eat eggplants for as long as I can remember — that’s why we often stuff our tortang talong with cheese.
Recently, I wondered how Alex would treat the eggplants if they were cut into small pieces and included in one of her favorite comfort foods — fried rice. I cooked fried rice with small pieces of eggplants and she ate the eggplant bits.
If there’s a lesson in there somewhere, it’s this: If you’re encouraging your children to eat a particular vegetable, hiding the vegetable isn’t the only trick in the world. Sometimes, cutting the vegetable into small pieces and making it a part of a beloved dish works well too.
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 c. of cold cooked rice, stirred to separate the grains
4 to 5 chicken thigh fillets, cut into thin strips and seasoned with 2 tbsps. of oyster sauce, 2 tbsps. of light soy sauce and 2 tbsps. of hoisin sauce
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 red onion (or 2 shallots), peeled and thinly sliced
2 eggs, beaten
2 to 3 tbsps. of cooking oil
2 tbsps. of light soy sauce
salt
pepper
2 tbsps. of oyster sauce
a drizzle of sesame seed oil
Instructions
- Heat the cooking oil in a pan. Add the beaten eggs and cook until firm. Scoop out and transfer to a chopping board, roll and cut into thin strips. Set aside.
Reheat the remaining oil. Add the chicken strips, with the marinade, and stir fry until the meat changes color. Add the eggplant and carrot cubes. Continue cooking, stirring often, the meat and vegetables should be done within a minute or two.
Add the garlic and onion slices. Stir a few times. Add the rice. Pour in the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and toss to distribute evenly until the rice is heated through. Turn off the heat. Add the sliced eggs and drizzle with sesame seed oil. Toss a few more times and serve at once.
Cooking time (duration): 20 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 4 to 5
Meal type: lunch / supper
Eggplant in fried rice? Nice idea! I think I should try this.
Experiment gone right.
Ms.Connie, this is off-topic but I was just so excited to share that I tried your adobong kabute sa gata. I was able to find a bottle of sweet soy sauce (finally found a guy in SM who didn’t automatically say, walang ganun) and some kutsai over the weekend. I added some sweet soy sauce, chilies and gata. I overcooked it a little I think bec. there was excess liquid. But overall, I love this dish.Sana laging may kabute sa wet market. Thanks for the recipe.
Na-miss ko tuloy hehehe Haven’t made a standalone mushroom dish in a long time.
I’ve never thought to add eggplant to fried rice. I bet it is a delicious addition! We love eggplant but I do get how some people are wigged out by the soft slimy texture.
this is our dinner last night! real deli! hubby said he’s so contented and satisfied with my new found hobby, cooking! so ready for more experiments now.
thanks a lot!