Stir Fried Brinjals with Minced Meat

The brinjals or eggplants or aubergine (French) which belong to the nightshade family of vegetables are usually purplish in color.

They come in various shapes - rounded, nearly rounded, pear shaped or oblong and are usually up to 40 cm long. We can also find black, green and white brinjals in the market.


Brinjals normally have a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture and can be eaten baked, boiled, roasted, steamed, fried, pickled, stuffed or in curries.


Being a nightshade plant, some Chinese believe that it should not be eaten at night as it's not good for eyesight and it might also worsen arthritis.


However, it is one of my daughter's favorite vegetables and she never failed to order the stuffed brinjal whenever we have dim sum!

Stir Fried Brinjals with Minced Meat


500gm brinjals
100gm minced meat
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp bean paste (taucu)
1 inch ginger, shredded
1 sprig spring onion, chopped
3 tbsp oil
sesame oil, salt, sugar, water

1. Cut brinjals into slightly angular slices.
2. Immerse in water to prevent from discoloring. Drain before cooking.
3. Heat oil in wok.
4. Saute the ginger, shallots and garlic till fragrant.
5. Fry the taucu, sprinkle some sugar on it.
6. Add in the minced meat and fry for a minute.
7. Add the brinjals and stir fry well with some salt.
8. Add 3 tbsp water and cover for 2 minutes or till brinjals change color.
9. Sprinkle some sesame oil and garnish with the spring onions.
10. Serve hot with rice.

Stir Fried Baby French Beans

French beans or Kacang Buncis are delicious tasting, better than the long beans anytime. They are a leguminuous vegetable containing high protein and plenty of vitamins A, C, iron, calcium, phosphorus & folate.


The French beans or kuai tau in Malaysia are generally green but there are also different types such as yellow, purple, reddish or purplish spots or stripes varieties. When cooking we need to snip the top and tail of the beans and remove the strings on the side.


My son loves all kinds of beans , particularly the baby french beans which are sweet and crunchy. They are however not easily available in the market and also relatively more expensive than the normal matured french beans.

Stir Fried Baby French Beans


400 gm baby french beans,
200 gm prawns
1/2 tsp ginger, shredded
1 tsp carrot, shredded
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp oil
salt, sesame oil, water

1. Snip off the ends from the french beans.(No need to cut)
2. Heat oil in the wok.
3. Saute the ginger, shallots and garlic till fragrant.
4. Fry the prawns for a minute and dish out.
5. Lightly fry the carrot and baby french beans with some salt, sesame oil until they change color, sprinkling some water if necessary.
6. Mix back the prawns.
7. Serve hot with rice.

Stir Fried Yam Bean (Bangkuang/沙葛)

The Chinese turnip (沙葛) or yam bean or bangkuang or sengkuang or jicama (didn't know it has so many names) always act as a standby or reserve in my vegetable list as it can be stored for a relatively long period without refrigeration.


This root vegetable has a thick, fibrous light brown skin while its white flesh is crisp and moist, slightly sweet and can be eaten raw as a fruit or in salad as in rojak or used as an ingredient in popiah or stir fried.

Stir Fried Yam Bean (Bangkuang/沙葛)


350 gm yam bean
100 gm carrot
1 tsp dried shrimps, washed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
1/2 tsp shredded ginger
2 sprig spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp oil
Salt, water

1. Peel and shred the yam bean and carrot.
2. Heat oil in the wok.
3. Fry the ginger, shallots, garlic and dried shrimps till fragrant.
4. Add the carrot and yam bean and stir fry for a minute with some salt.
5. Add enough water to cover the yam bean and simmer till soften.
6. Garnish with spring onions and dish out.
7. Serve hot with rice.

Stir Fried Ngah Gu 芽菇

The arrowhead bulbs or ngah gu 芽菇 are found abundantly during the Chinese New year festive season. Usually, they are sliced and fried into chips and eaten as a snack. They are crunchy, tasty and very addictive.


The ngah gu can also be stir fried with either meat or Chinese sausage. It's pretty crunchy and taste a bit like potato, no wonder, sometimes it's known as duck potato. It's a swamp tuber vegetable like the lotus root and water chestnut.


Stir fried ngah gu


500 gm arrowhead bulbs, (ngah gu)
200g lean pork, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
1/2 tsp shredded ginger
2 sprig spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp oyster sauce
Salt, water

1. Peel and slice the ngah gu.
2. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in the wok.
3. Fry the ginger and shallots till golden brown.
4. Add in the chopped garlic and saute till fragrant.
5. Fry the pork with some salt.
6. Add the ngah gu and stir fry with some salt and oyster sauce.
7. Add enough water to just cover the ngah ku and simmer for a while, stirring occasionally.
8. When the ngah gu lightly softens, mix in the spring onions and dish out.
9. Serve hot with rice.

Stir-fried Tau kan

Tau kan (Wet Bean curd Blocks) is a very versatile bean curd base. It's used mainly as a vegetarian dish and can be found at any stalls that sell tofu.

My husband loves this and never fail to purchase a packet whenever he goes to the market. This happens so often that sometimes I end up with two to three packets in the freezer!


Stir-fried Tau kan


1 piece Japanese cucumber, sliced angular
1 packet tau kan
1 tsp carrot, shredded
1 tsp ginger, shredded
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp oil
salt, pepper, sugar, water

1. Heat oil in the wok and toss fry the tau kan lightly.
2. Drain and dish out.
3. Saute the ginger, shallots and garlic till fragrant.
4. Add the carrot and cucumber and stir fry with some salt, sesame oil and oyster sauce for a while with some water.
5. Cover for a half a minute.
6. Mix back the tau kan.
7. Sprinkle in some pepper and sugar for taste.
8. Serve hot with rice.

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Tofu

The broccoli and cauliflower are two of my favorite vegetables from the same cruciferous family called Brassicaceae. They both consist of a compact head of florets and are nutritious,low in fat but high in dietary fiber, water and vitamin C.

I normally add some egg tofu to complete this stir fried mixed vegetables dish. The delicate egg tofu comes in a tube where I can easily cut into rounds for shallow frying until crispy.


Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Tofu



1 cluster of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 small cluster of cauliflower, cut into small florets
100 gm prawns
50 gm carrot, sliced
1 stick egg tofu, cut to 8 pc
1 teaspoon ginger, shredded
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cornflour
salt, pepper, sugar, water

1. Heat oil in the wok.
2. Fried the egg tofu till golden brown, drain and dish out.
3. Saute the ginger, shallots and garlic till fragrant.
4. Fry the prawns for a minute and dish out.
5. Blanch the broccoli, caulifower and carrot in small pot of boiling water for a minute.
6. Drain well and add to the wok with a sprinkle of salt.
7. Mix back the prawn with the oyster sauce, salt and sesame oil and stir fry for a minute.
8. Add back the tofu.
9. Blend the cornstarch, sugar and pepper with some water from the pot and pour in.
10. Stir fry and cook until gravy thickens and bubbly.
11. Serve hot with rice.