Eggplant with garlic and ginger: I don't have measurements and it's not in any way authentic.

Take two medium eggplants, cut them into small pieces, cover in salt in a colander, then wash well after 20 minutes.

Gently fry the eggplant in sesame oil and vegetable oil in a wok until the eggplant is very soft,  along with thick slices of chopped ginger (this will take about half an hour usually, and all the oil will be absorbed into the eggplant so it's up to you how much you want to use. The reason eggplant often tastes like crap is because people undercook it and don't salt it first. Use about 6-7 centimetres of ginger root).

Throw in another small splash of oil, roughly 5-6  garlic cloves and one chopped green pepper and fry for another five minutes. Add in a splash of cooking wine, a good spash of soy sauce and a tablespoon of oyster sauce. Add a little sugar if you like. On nights we were feeling more carniverous, I'd throw in some chicken at the end with the peppers

Also this is a wonderful dish I used to love making; it's actually Vietnamese but you can get most of the stuff in China easily even in a crappy small city. I didn't have fish sauce but cooking wine added some depth of flavour instead, and I used normal shallots because getting red ones was too much of a pain in the butt. http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/11052/Crisp_tofu_cooked_in_tomato-pepper_sauce_(dau_hu_sot_ca)

SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

You can use this recipe for either a dipping sauce or to pour over a main dish

1/4 cup water
2-1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon corn or peanut oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

Method

Mix together the 1/4 cup water, rice vinegar, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, salt and red pepper flakes and set aside.

Heat oil.
Stir in the garlic and ginger
cook until they soften
do not let them brown.

Stir in the liquid seasonings (except for the cornstarch mixture).

Let the mixture come to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 minute, stirring, to allow the flavors to blend.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and heat until the sauce is glossy and tastes cooked through. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.

  I do: Anything with 'haoyou' (oyster sauce). Chopped pork with eggplant and 'haoyou'. Pork / mugua with 'haoyou'. Pork / cucumber with 'haoyou'.
mArtiAn like 'haoyou'.

I tend make tomato & egg... very quick and easy.

beat eggs and fry, then take out.

put cut up tomatos in wok, cook - add salt for flavour (I also put in MSG). Add the egg... cook til done, eat!!!

The secrets are - cook the eggs and toms seperately... use salt in toms (and maybe the MSG). Makes ALL the difference!!!

'Melanzane Luna', breaded and fried eggplant with garlic and marinara sauce.

Cut eggplant on the most 0.5 cm thick or thinner, long slices. Best for cutting is slicing machine, but you can do it with sharp long knife, also.

Dip each slice of eggplant in the flour, egg and bread crumbs. Fry it in the hot oil till brownish (few minutes).

Marinara sauce: chopped garlic and onion sauteed in pan with a bit of oil. Add chopped tomato, cook and stir for few minutes. Add a lot of chopped garlic and parsley, spoon of olive oil, half glass of red wine into the sauce and stir everything. Turn off the heat.

Pour marinara sauce on the top of the eggplant slices. Open bottle of red wine......Use fork & knife.

'Melanzane Luna', dish from S. Napoli, Italy

. 

easy  to make fried mix.

- vegetables
- meat
- spices
- some cornstarch

1. prepare all ingredients (should be ready before heating a wok)
- meat (any kind) - in thin slices, marinated in soy sauce (light or dark - it's up to You) with some spices (up to You - I always use fine chopped garlic, ginger, sometimes some onions), if You want to soften the taste - add some brown sugar and a little bit of vinegar
- vegetables (any "cookable") - in pieces (softer vegetable - bigger pieces), if dried mushrooms - pour it with warm water and soy sauce for at list 20 minutes, then chop for "chopstick-able" pieces)
- sauces and spices: soy sauces, sichuan peppers paste, sesame... etc. (up to You - thy different tastes)
- good quality oil (peanut oil is nice)

2. pour some oil into wok, add some garlic and/or ginger in thick slices, then warm up, until garlic became gold (do not allow to burn it), then remove garlic and ginger

3. put the fire under wok for maximum, heat the oil, and fry slices of meat (for 2-3 minutes max - just to change its color), then put it aside or remove from wok

4. put vegetables in, beginning from hardest ones, fry for a 1-2 minutes then add another kind then... until all is in the wok

5. mix with the meat, add sauces and spices, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until sauce boils-out

5a. for firmer taste - mix and stir as above, but then add more sauce and some water (not more then level of vegetables and meat!), and cover it for steaming until water boils out

6. if You want to thicken it all - mix small spoon of cornstarch with 2 spoons of water, then add it and stir until thickens (You my multiply this proportion). You can also add a cornstarch at step 5a
 

You can eat it as it is, with rice, noodles etc.

Little tip - at very end, when thickening, I add fine copped small green onions - refreshes the taste

When altering kinds of vegetables and meat (and spices off course) You can achieve hundreds of dishes

fish steamed on the bed of ginger

1. find fish that You like, and clean it, then add some spices (salt, pepper..)
2. chop a lot of ginger (and a garlic)  in medium size pieces (no matter how they looks like)
3. put a "bed" of chopped ginger for 0,5-1 inch deep at the bottom of wok or pot
5. pour some water just to cover ginger, and boil it
6. put a fish on boiling "bed of ginger" and cover for steaming
7. steam at medium heat for about 5-10 minutes (up to the size of fish... and I'm not talking about sardines or marlins), adding some boiled water to the "bed" if it steams-out until fish is ready
8. at the end - gently move fish on it's "bed" to the plate

9. serve with some sauces (up to You), and/or lemon

Tip - You don't have to eat the "bed" but if You like to ... just make it of vegetables that You like, but remember, that in this dish strong taste of bed is slightly transferred to fish - and spices it, so for those who don't like strong tastes - just don't eat "bed".

2am post beer Wok special.

Hot wok, and oil

steamed / boiled rice

any leftovers from fridge

Throw it all in a wok stir constantly add soy sauce, some chopped chillies (or powder) and voila!

Tastes great at 2.15am

P.S. for some reason this usually tastes AWFUL at 10am!

One else, VERY easy kind of dish...
specially for those, who wants to safe money, and eat something "not so chinese" from time to time

preparation - few minutes
cooking - 20-60 minutes
cooking level - easy

steamed something on the rice

1. buy pot for cooking a rice (slow-cooker) (50-500 RMB, usually about 100)
2. prepare rice as in any recipe (clean it in the water, then put into a pot, add some salt and water to the first knuckle of finger above rice level in the pot

3. prepare sliced "something" - like vegetables, or/and unsliced - like fish (cleaned and seasoned with pepper, salt and any other You like)
4. when the water boils-out below rice level - put "something" onto rice, and close the pot
5. when the rice is ready - also "something" is ready

btw. "something" is usually cooked quite "soft" - more up to westerners taste

if You want it little "harder" - add it later

Tip: do not open slow-cooker to many times... !
Tip2: do not have to buy slow-cooker, any other pot for cooking rice is OK (could be "any" pot with the cover, bust please choose those with thin bottom) - prices starts at 20 RMB and goes up... sky is the limit, but anyway ... it is little cheaper then slow-cooker  ;)