Garlicky Eggplants Stir Fry with Scallops X.O. Sauce - 蒜炒干貝XO醬茄子

Quick post before catching my flight from Taiwan to CA.

Garlicky eggplants stir fry with scallops X.O. sauce -

Ingredients -

2 long shaped eggplants (avoid the round and fat kind)
4 garlic cloves
2 red chilies
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of scallops X.O. sauce
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of dried shrimps
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
Some fresh greens and red chilies for garnish

How?

Gently rinse the dried shrimps and soak them with cold water for about 10 minutes.

Once done, drain well, pat dry, finely chop the shrimps, and set aside for later use.

Scallops X.O. sauce is one of the common Asian seasonings and can be found easily in Asian grocery store. The one I used here contains Gin Hua ham, shrimps, scallops, garlic, shallots, etc).

Peel and chop the garlic cloves into smaller pieces. Discard the stems from the spicy red chilies and finely chop the remaining. Discard the stems and slice the eggplants with an angle, about 2 mm in thickness.

Drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in chopped dried shrimps and cook till the color turns dark or the shrimps started to dry out.

Add in chopped garlic and chilies. Cook for about 30 seconds till the garlicky aroma comes out but not burning the pieces. Add in good amount of scallops X.O. sauce, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Give the seasoning a quick stir. Don't worry if the seasoning appears oily at the moment because eggplants tend to absorb lots of liquid. All the sauce will be sucked in by the veggie soon.

Add in sliced eggplants and mix well with the seasonings. Make sure to cook the eggplants till brownish in color, just like the ones shown in the picture. Depending on the eggplants used, some types tend to absorb the sauce easily, like those long and skinny eggplants. If you still get some pale spots on the eggplants, lower the heat a wee bit and cover with lid. Wait for couple minute and stir the mixture occasionally. You'll get beautifully cooked eggplants shortly after.

Garnish with some fresh greens and red chilies before serving.