I find that somehow that approximation of sauces, spices and other seasonings has seeped into my mind. When I cook my mother's recipes now, I hardly take out the measuring spoons/cups. So far so good and I think it has encouraged me to taste the food as a cook. (Yes, I used to hardly do that).
I made my mother's eggplant & ground meat stir fry the other day. It's a quick and easy eggplant recipe, which I don't eat very often.
My Mother's Eggplant & Ground Meat Stir Fry
Ingredients (again below measurements are estimates):
- 1lb ground meat - I use ground turkey but my mom uses pork. My mom usually adds a teaspoon of fish sauce to the meat for some extra flavour but I didn't since I didn't have any.
- 1 small - medium sized Japanese eggplant (the long skinny eggplant) but into 1-2 inch pieces about an inch thick
- 1 small chopped onion
- 1 small tomator
- 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 2 cloves of garlic - chopped
- 4 tbsp of oyster sauce - more may be needed. Taste it as you cook!
Instructions:
- Sautee garlic and onions in vegetable oil until a bit translucent
- Add the meat and oyster sauce
- Once the meat is cooked remove everything from the pan and set aside.
- Sautee the eggplant with vegetable oil. If it's too dry add a bit of water.
- When the eggplant is half way cooked, add the tomatoes and a couple tablespoons of oyster sauce
- Once the eggplant is cooked, add the meat and mix everything together.
- Serve with rice
