Sunday is zoom day, but also time to make sure that meals happen between online meetings. I needed to use up the two eggplant bought last week, and remembered "5 flavor eggplant" that I made back in 2020... that recipe needs to come back into more frequent rotation, as it is wonderfully simple and tasty. The limiting factor is getting the right sort of eggplant. (It also freezes really well, so must needs remember that and put some by when possible.) This made a great lunch, along with some rice noodles and shrimp.
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~ day 16 ~
This just tickles my fancy, as I had a different mushroom portrait earlier in the swap on day 8. Who of my tinyfolk is fascinated by mycology?~ day 16 ~
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Given up on the box fan renewal project, since direct wiring did nothing to resurrect function. Whatever is wrong with it is beyond my ability to suss out, so sadly it has become a bin-it instead of a fix-it ...
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"5 Flavor Eggplant"
(savory, salty, sweet, sour, spicy)
(savory, salty, sweet, sour, spicy)
about 2# long skinny eggplant
1 tablespoon salt
1½ tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon oil
+ hotness as desired
put the salt in a big bowl, add several cups of water, and then clean and cut up eggplants, tossing the bits into the bowl of salt water - I cut them first the long ways into quarters or sixths, then cut the long pieces into chunks. I try for about ¾" cubes more or less by volume, because big pieces take a long time to cook through, and undercooked eggplant is nasty.
when all the eggplant is in the bowl of salty water, it sits there for a half hour... I occasionally stir it or push the chunks around to make sure they all get drenched... you want to have enough water that they are all floating.
Meanwhile, combine the tamari, the vinegar, the sugar, and the cornstarch. Drain and dry the eggplant bits. (my current innovation is to use my salad spinner after pouring off as much of the water as I can)
In a big frying pan, heat up the oil, then fry the eggplant until it is FULLY COOKED and slightly browned. (Trust me, you want it cooked till it is SOFT, not al dente) Pour the sauce mixture over the eggplant (give the sauce mixture a good stirring up just before you pour it), and cook til thick, which will take only a few moments, because cornstarch...
At this point, I usually add some awesome sauce (spicy chili jam) but you could add a dash of tabasco, or sriacha, or whatever you prefer. The original recipe called for adding jalapeno peppers at the beginning, but that was WAY TOO HOT for me. YMMV, and the spicy aspect is entirely optional for that matter.
Truly, this recipe is almost faster to cook than to read, most of the effort is in cutting up the eggplants, and in waiting while they soak in the salty water. I had always in the past done the sprinkle the eggplant with salt, let it drain, rinse it off thing, which is a whole lot of faffing about. I had never heard of soaking them in lightly salted water, but it works really well!!
put the salt in a big bowl, add several cups of water, and then clean and cut up eggplants, tossing the bits into the bowl of salt water - I cut them first the long ways into quarters or sixths, then cut the long pieces into chunks. I try for about ¾" cubes more or less by volume, because big pieces take a long time to cook through, and undercooked eggplant is nasty.
when all the eggplant is in the bowl of salty water, it sits there for a half hour... I occasionally stir it or push the chunks around to make sure they all get drenched... you want to have enough water that they are all floating.
Meanwhile, combine the tamari, the vinegar, the sugar, and the cornstarch. Drain and dry the eggplant bits. (my current innovation is to use my salad spinner after pouring off as much of the water as I can)
In a big frying pan, heat up the oil, then fry the eggplant until it is FULLY COOKED and slightly browned. (Trust me, you want it cooked till it is SOFT, not al dente) Pour the sauce mixture over the eggplant (give the sauce mixture a good stirring up just before you pour it), and cook til thick, which will take only a few moments, because cornstarch...
At this point, I usually add some awesome sauce (spicy chili jam) but you could add a dash of tabasco, or sriacha, or whatever you prefer. The original recipe called for adding jalapeno peppers at the beginning, but that was WAY TOO HOT for me. YMMV, and the spicy aspect is entirely optional for that matter.
Truly, this recipe is almost faster to cook than to read, most of the effort is in cutting up the eggplants, and in waiting while they soak in the salty water. I had always in the past done the sprinkle the eggplant with salt, let it drain, rinse it off thing, which is a whole lot of faffing about. I had never heard of soaking them in lightly salted water, but it works really well!!
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The plaid flannel slip project is completed, after reconfiguring the skirt to have many more gores (salvaged from the midsection and replaced with stripey batik) The hemline is super twirly, so will provide plenty of room for bicycle riding; it took almost nine yards of bias tape to bind the bottom edge. While the result is somewhat alarmingly patchwork-y, most of it will remain hidden beneath my everyday garments, with only the flouncy bottom edge visible. I do like the overall effect of multiple sizes and shapes of gores and godets, so may use that in the future on some dress...
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June SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | musk ox print | horses blouse edge | yard waste bin |
| 2 | green linen Jedi tunic | kitchen light fixture | recycle bin |
| 3 | Nandina floral dress | Luxo plug | - |
| 4 | 2 tiny knit skirts | plaid flannel slip | - |
| 5 | tiny knit cardigan | - | - |
| 6 | x | x | x |
| 7 | x | x | x |
| 8 | x | x | x |
| 9 | x | x | x |
today's gratitudes -
1. Currently the supply chains more or less work, and I have food and things needed on hand or mostly available.
2. The scent of summer jasmine, on my early morning walk today, I turned down an alleyway just following my nose, and there it was...
3. Iceberg lettuce... while a lot of folks like to bash it as flavorless, to me it was not only the every day supper salad green of my childhood, but it is also a sweet, mild, and crunchy treat on frequent occasions nowadays.
Time of Isolation - Day 1438
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