About Arthur: The New York Times Magazine called Arthur Schwartz “a walking Google of food and restaurant knowledge.” As the restaurant critic and executive food editor of the New York Daily News, which he was for 18 years, he was called The Schwartz Who Ate New York. Nowadays, he is best known as The Food Maven, the name of his website. Whatever the sobriquet, he is acknowledged as one of the country’s foremost experts on food, cooking, culinary history, restaurants, and restaurant history.
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Just released. Arthur Schwartz's Newest Cookbook. Available at Amazon and major booksellers everywhere.
Chinese Eggplant in Garlic Sauce
from "Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen," by Grace Young
Serves 4 to 6 as part of a multi-course meal
3 medium Chinese eggplants (or any long and narrow type eggplant), about 1 pound
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (available in jars in Asian markets)
2 tablespoons thin soy sauce (or light soy sauce)
2 tablespoons Chinese red rice vinegar (or plain, clear rice vinegar)
2 tablespoons Shao Hsing rice cooking wine (or dry sherry)
1 tablespoon sugar
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup ground pork butt (or any ground pork)
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Remove the stems and trim the ends from the eggplants. Cut the unpeeled eggplants into scant 1/2-inch-thick by 2 1/2-inch-long strips.
In a small bowl, combine the chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, sugar, and 2/3 cup cold water.
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 3 tablespoons oil and half the eggplant, and stir fry 2 minutes, or until some of the eggplant continues to brown and soften. Transfer the eggplant to a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and 3 tablespoons of the oil, transferring to the plate with first batch.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and the pork, garlic, and ginger, and stir fry about 1 minute, or until golden and fragrant.
Return the eggplant to the wok. Re-stir the chili sauce mixture, and swirl into the wok. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 5-to 8 minutes or until eggplant is just tender. Stir in scallions and serve immediately.
VARIATION: To make broccoli with garlic sauce, use 1 bunch broccoli. Cut the flowerettes from the stalks. Peel the stalks, then cut them into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices. Cut the larger flowerettes into small pieces. Stir-frying the broccoli in two batches, as you do the eggplant above, cook the stems first, then the flowerettes. They should take about 3 minutes each to get crisp-tender. Add the remaining oil and the sauce ingredients, as above. Return the broccoli to the pan, cover and cook about 4 minutes, until fully tender. If there is too much liquid in the pan for your taste, uncover the broccoli for the last 2 minutes.
