A Chinese lunch

I had a call from our travel agent and we need to make a start on our Chinese visas. She had sent me the forms and advised how to complete as it is mainly in Chinese.

It is the same as we used to fill out before so no dramas once I saw it but we will need to get passport photos to go with them, ours are well and truly out of date.

I had bought an egg plant last week when I was shopping. Thinking about China and so I turned the egg plant into my favourite Chinese dish. I used to have it often at school and when we went out to restaurants. One time we were invited to a students home and his grandmother showed me how to prepare it. I dont do it quite the same way as they cook with very high flames and a lot of oil but mine still has the taste with out as much oil.

Nay Nay (grandmother) had no English but when needed Sam translated. I start the egg plant off cooking in about a tablespoon of oil and move it around until it is covered, then I add some water if needed. A very small handful of mince meat, could add more but I was trying to cook as close as possible to Nay nay's dish. I doubt if it was more than 20 grams of mince. In China meat is used more for flavour than anything else. I added GF soy sauce, some oyster sauce and a tablespoon of sugar, no salt as there is salt in the soy. Serve over rice and that is done.

I cant remember the last time I cooked this. Warren likes it as well but cant eat it in China because of the soy sauce used, it is very high in gluten but with some many foods now available GF, it is not an issue.

Cherzi is the name in Chinese and it is also used when taking photos, we would say one two three cheese, they say E, I san cherzi or in English translated, one two three egg plant.