Steamed eggplant with garlic, soy and sesame

(serves 4, as a side)

This is a dish that my dad asked my mum to learn because he missed eating it from his 'homeland' - which i think means it is maybe a traditional Shanghainese dish that grandma used to make. It's pretty simple with a big garlic punch but i quite like it actually - it's  a tasty way to eat raw garlic and fight off any infections!

Prep time: 5 min

Cooking time: 20-30min

Ingredients
1x 700g eggplant
2 cloves garlic
1 T soy sauce
1/2 T sesame oil
salt
1 sprig green shallot

Method
1. Cut the eggplant into quarters and steam for 20-30 minutes, until it's very soft.
NB. This can also be done in the rice-cooker if you have a steaming insert.

2. Finely dice the garlic and shallot.
3. Remove the cooked eggplant and cut into thin slices in a bowl. Add the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt to taste.
4. Sprinkle with green shallots on top and serve warm, with rice.