The eggplant or more commonly known as Brinjals belongs to the Nightshade family or family Solanaceae, originated from India. Most plants that belongs to the nightshade family are poisonous especially the green part and unripe fruits. But there are also other species that have edible fruits. Because of its’ relationship to the Nightshade family, the eggplant was once mistakenly to be poisonous. Other edible Solanaceae plants are tomato and potato. Today, eggplants are cultivated commercially for food and it a good source of folic acid, potassium and free radicals. It is also known to be effective in lowering blood cholesterol level. Although eggplant contains nicotine, the level is very low compared to smoking tobacco! There are many varieties of eggplant in terms of colours and shape. The most common ones are purple, green, reddish purple, yellow, white, orange or black in colour. It also comes in many shapes and sizes. Some are round, some are long and narrow and some are short and wide. I tried to stir fried the eggplant with prawn and oyster sauce. This is the first time I cook eggplant this way and surprisingly my daughter love it! Well here is the recipe. Ingredients Eggplant, (One long purple), cut into 2” strips Dried prawns, 1 table spoon Garlic, 5 pcs, chopped finely Oyster sauce, 1 table spoon Dark soya sauce, ½ teaspoon Salt to taste Heat up wok and 2 table spoons of oil. Sautéed the garlic until golden brown and then add in the dried prawn. Put in the eggplant and stir fried until it turns soft. Add water and let it simmer for a while. Add salt to taste. Serve with steamed rice.
