Eggplant is an inexpensive and nutritious vegetable. It is not only rich in nutrients like dietary fiber and vitamin P, which are very beneficial for anti-aging and protecting cardiovascular health, but it is also rich in antioxidants such as flavonoids, helping to prevent age spots or skin pigmentation. However, its nature of easily "absorbing oil" can greatly reduce its nutritional value. In this issue, I'll teach you a great tip for stir-frying eggplant with less oil—sprinkle some water before cooking.
After cutting or tearing the eggplant into the desired shape, sprinkle some water on its surface (dip your finger in water and flick it onto the eggplant). This way, the stir-fried eggplant will not only cook faster but also use relatively less oil. Because the water softens the cell walls when heated, it reduces the amount of oil the eggplant absorbs. Water also conducts heat more quickly, which can speed up the cooking process. Additionally, stirring the eggplant with chopsticks during cooking ensures it heats evenly and cooks thoroughly.
Steaming the eggplant in a steamer before stir-frying can also save oil, as during the steaming process, the eggplant absorbs a lot of water, increasing its saturation and significantly reducing its oil-absorbing ability. However, while this method uses less oil, the eggplant tends to release a lot of water, which might result in a situation where "half the plate is eggplant and half is water." Moreover, the eggplant's texture becomes soft and mushy, losing its original flavor. The steaming method is only recommended for dishes like eggplant purée or stuffed eggplant.