Asian eggplant gets slow-cook treatment

Food blogger Kelly Kwok grew up in a home where traditional Chinese cuisine was family fare. When she got married and received a slow cooker as a gift, she began to experiment with creating slow-cooker versions of traditional Chinese recipes, plus favorite dishes from Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.

The result is her new cookbook, “The Asian Slow Cooker” (Page Street Publishing; $21.99). All of the 80 recipes can be made either partially or entirely in a slow cooker, including Chinese Five Spice Pork Tenderloin, Chicken Lo Mein and Asian Pear Pudding Cake.

She says this simple recipe for Chinese Eggplant With Garlic Sauce is similar to a dish her mother used to make. You can find the Asian ingredients in many grocery stores or at Asian markets such as 99 Ranch.

See more of Kwok’s recipes on her blog, lifemadesweeter.com.

Chinese Eggplant With Garlic Sauce

Makes 4 servings

½ cup water, plus more as needed

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

3 teaspoons brown sugar or honey

½ to 1 teaspoon red chili garlic paste or Sriracha, to taste (optional)

½ teaspoon sesame oil, plus more for garnish

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 pounds Chinese eggplant washed and sliced into large chunks

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

2 green onions, thinly sliced, divided

Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix the water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, sesame oil, garlic and ginger together until combined for the sauce.

Add the eggplant to the bottom of the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top, mixing well. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 5 hours. Add some more water as needed, depending on how hot your slow cooker runs.

To thicken the sauce, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and stir into the slow cooker. Stir in half of the sliced green onions. Cover with the lid, turn the heat to high and allow the sauce to cook and thicken for 20 to 30 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle with the remaining green onions, a drizzle of sesame oil and sesame seeds, if desired.

Recipe excerpted with permission from “The Asian Slow Cooker: Exotic Favorites for Your Crockpot,” by Kelly Kwok; Page Street Publishing.

chris.ross@sduniontribune.com