Ik kan het niet meer Aubergine*

*In Dutch I always say this sentence when I lost the big picture. Normally you'd say 'Ik kan het niet meer overzien', but the pronounciation of 'overzien' and 'aubergine' is somewhat similar.

The Aubergine is known by many names. Melongene, Garden Egg, Guinea squash, but mostly known as Eggplant. Although the Dutch name is aubergine, I will refer to it as Eggplant from now on. Eggplant, always thought it was the strangest name for a fruitvegetable. Breaking down the word to egg and plant doesn't help much. It doesn't look like an egg and isn't a plant but the fruit of a plant. After some websurfing I found some answers.

"The name of eggplant was given it by Europeans in the middle of the eighteenth century because the variety they knew had fruits that were the shape and size of goose eggs. That variety also had fruits that are a whitish or yellowish color rather than the wine purple that is more familiar to us nowadays. So the sort they knew really did look as though it had fruits like eggs." -source

 Now a days the eggplant looks probably way different then in the 18th century. This fruit, that we eat as a vegetable is a species of the Nightshade family. Making the tomato and potato his siblings.

The eggplant is native to Asia. So no wonder that my mom and dad used eggplant for a Chinese stew dish. I always liked the taste, but the texture and look of it made me think of slugs. Turning the eggplant in one of my least favorite vegetables.
Since I started cooking, I only used eggplant for non-Asian dishes. I started to use it we've been eating more and more Mediterranean. Giving it a different taste, texture and visually better then my memories. 

Chinese Eggplant, Thais Eggplant, Indian Eggplant 

sketch from Artist Book #2 USA, august 2012

In the summer of 2012 I rediscovered the eggplant for Chinese dishes. I was in one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles County. The food is so good, that I dreamed about it since my previous visit 4 years before. Together with my friend and cousin we picked Eggplant with Shrimp Schezuan** style. Since the moment I tasted it, I was sold. Now I dream about this dish. 

** Talking about Schezuan/Szechwan/Szechuan/Sichuan, this can refer to a province in China or the Schezuan pepper, also known as the numbing pepper. Although they use the Schezuan pepper a lot in the Schezuan province cuisine. For half a year I lived in China, in the neighborprovince of Schezuan (Chongqing was originally part of Schezuan, but became his own province), making the numbing pepper a big part of the Chongqing cuisine.  What I even find more interesting is that I've seen many different spellings for this province since then. Szechwan, Szechuan, Schezuan, for me the right spelling is in pinyin Sichuan.  四川, translation: 4 rivers, pointing to the 4 rivers that go through the original (Sichuan & Chongqing) province.

In China I ate a lot of eggplant, Sichuan** style or somewhat different. But it never tasted the same as the one from Top Island Restaurant. Now back in Holland, with the taste of my Eggplant with Shrimp Schezuan style still fresh from last January, I started looking for a similar recipe. After some websurfing and nosing about in my Chinese/Asian cookbooks, I somewhat reconstructed my favorite eggplant dish.

Indian Eggplant, Chinese Eggplant, Thai Eggplant

from the Hawaii Market, San Gabriel, Los Angeles County

Eggplant Sichuan style vegan 
source & The Land of the Five Flavors by T.O. Höllmann & The Chinese Vegan Kitchen by D. Klein
In Holland it's hard and expensive to buy Chinese Eggplants, so I always use the regular eggplants from the store. But If you come across some Chinese Eggplants, affordable and good looking, why not?

3 Eggplants
2 Green Onions, sliced
3 cm of fresh Ginger, cut julienne
3 cloves of Gralic, minced
1 Chile, sliced and preferably deseeded
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
3 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon of Sugar
1 tablespoon of rice vingar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
Oil 
Sesame oil
Seasoning
Optional for granish: toasted Sesame seeds, Thai basil, Cilantro

Cut the eggplants in 1/2 lengthwise and then slice crosswise into wedges, bite size pieces. If using a regular eggplant you could salt the eggplant first. To get rid of the excess water. Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss it around so the salt is mixed in well. Let it drip for half an hour or so.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high flame and add the oils; tilt the pan to coat all sides. When you see a slight smoke, add a layer of eggplant, stir-fry until seared and sticky, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the eggplant to a side platter and cook the remaining eggplant in same manner, adding more oil, if needed.

After all the eggplant is out of the pan, add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chile; stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the broth. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the wok and cook another minute, until the sauce has thickened. Put the eggplant back in the pan, tossing quickly, until the sauce is absorbed. Garnish with sesame seeds, Thai basil, and cilantro and serve.

I love eating this with steamed rice, as a main or a side. Enjoy!

The Ultimate Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie (with blueberries)

I love oatmeal cookies, but the amount of sugar and fat make me gain weight just by thinking about it. In the last year I made two oatmeal cookies my own, a healthy one and a 'try-it-before-you-diet' one! Both great but the healthy one always made me crave for the other one.

Last week I was visiting a friend, she baked these thick lovely heavy cookies. After eating one it felt like I ate a whole roll of cookies. I loved it! With the taste and satisfied belly sensation I went out looking. After downloading a new App on my phone I found it, the Ultimate Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. It ticked all the boxed, vegan -tick-, oatmeal -tick-, raisins. There was the problem, I don't like raisins. So as always, I tweaked the recipe to my liking!

The Ultimate Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie (with blueberries)
source Note: The original recipe is Vegan, but I really like honey. I'll give you some vegan options too. Makes around 16 large cookies.

3/4 cup of walnuts
3/4 cup of hazelnuts
3/4 cup of almonds
2 cups of rolled oats
3/4 cup of spelt flour
4 tablespoons of coconut blossom sugar
optinal: 4 tabelspoons of brown cane sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3-4 tablespoons of honey
or for the vegan option: maple syrup or something of that kind
2 tablespoons of milk substitute, I use almond or coconut milk.
3 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2/3 cup of dark chocolate
optinal: substitute half the chocolate with blueberries.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a baking sheet. Place the nuts on the baking sheet. Toast in oven for about 10-12 minutes, until golden in colour. Watch carefully so as not to burn. When toasted remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Shake off the skins of the hazelnuts (if there are any). Chop the nuts, using a knife or a food processor. I like chunks of nut in my cookies, so I keep them pretty rough. But you can also ground them pretty fine.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, 1 cup oats, cinnamon, and sugar(s). Mix in with the nuts, using a spoon or still using your food processor. In a small bowl add the coconut oil and microwave for 20 seconds to soften (if necessary). In the same bowl, stir in the honey/maple syrup, and milk substitute,  pour into food mixture until thoroughly combined. Mix in the remaining 1 cup of oats by stirring or with hands. Fold in the chocolate (and blueberries). Take about 2 tbsp of dough, make a ball, and then flatten with fingers. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat.

Bake for 10 minutes and no longer. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before placing onto a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. When cooled down, the cookies will crisp up a little more and become even more yummy! Enjoy!

Try it before you diet - Salted caramel Chocolate muffins

This recipe is in every way not good for you. Large amounts of sugar and butter. But it's sooooo yummy. First time I made them was for my younger brother, he was feeling down, so the sugar and chocolate made him feel better. When I brought them to my friends house yesterday, both of them ate the muffin without doubt. Trying to scrape of the last bits of the cupcakepaper. Great success if you ask me.

Salted caramel Chocolate muffins
yield 12 muffins
185grams softened unsalted butter
160grams caster sugar
2 eggs
230grams flour
1package of baking powder
1/2tsp of salt
60grams of Dutch cocoa powder
85ml thickened cream (For the Dutchies: ongeklopte slagroom)
85ml water
12 Lonka caramel toffee chews
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12-hole muffin/cupcake pan with paper cases. Using an electric mixer whisk the butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time, mixing until combined. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, salt and cocoa in a bowl. Slowly add dry mixture to electric mixer, mixing until combined. Gradually mix in cream and water to combine.

Fill each muffin case to two thirds full, smoothing over surface. Gently push 1 caramel toffee chews into each muffin mixture, taking care not to push too far to the bottom. Sprinkle with sea salt. Divide remaining mixture among cases, ensuring caramels are completely covered. Bake muffins in oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through, and caramel is runny when tested with a skewer. The bottom of the muffins will feel soft, because of the melted caramel. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Best when still warm and caramel is still melted. If served later, reheat the muffin. 20 seconds in the microwave will do the trick. Enjoy! 

Shredding potatoes II, potato pancakes from all over the world

A few months ago I started Postcrossing. Postcrossing is an online community that allow people to receive and send postcards all over the world. You send a postcard and will receive one back, to and from random Postcros-users form somewhere in the world.

After sending six cards, I received the first on back. All the way from Belarus. The card had a drawing of a cathedral of Minsk. On my profile I ask people to send me their favorite recipe or a traditional or local dish. And when you ask, you receive. Olga from Belarus, the sender of the card had written down one of her favorite recipes, draniki. What is the national dish of Belarus.

When I read the recipe it reminded me of rösti or hash browns, the breakfast potato pancakes from Switzerland and America. When I started to search the web for it, I found many other countries that make a kind of potato pancake. Mostly European and Middle-Eastern recipes. So we have the Czech bramborák or cmunda, the German Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen, Hungarian tócsni, the Jewish latkes or latkas and many more from Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukrain, England and Ireland. And from there on bringing it to other places on earth, like Africa and America.

I've been making potato pancakes for some years now. As a hash-brown for breakfast, as a rösti for dinner. Mixing in different kinds of potato, vegetables and seasonings. Here is my basic recipe.

Potato pancake
for 1 big pancake
3 mediumsize potatoes
1 onion
2 tablespoons of flour
seasoning

Peel and shred the potatoes and onion, wash them and drain. Squeeze out all the moisture. Mix in the flour and season well with pepper and salt. Heat up a large skillet and oil. Put in the potato mixture and using a fork press down the potatoes all over the skillet. Trying to make it as thin as possible. On high heat let it brown for around 7 minutes, pressing the potato down. Check the bottom if it is browning. Then flip the pancake, using a lid or by cutting it in four. Let the other side brown for around 5 minutes. Serve directly.

This is just a basic recipe, you can spice it up with different other ingredients. Add some shredded carrot, pumpkin or sweet potato. Or seasoning like smoked paprika or curry. The sky is the limit! Use it as part of you breakfast, lunch or dinner. Enjoy!