Local author Betty Liu gives you basic techniques in "The Chinese Way," then you can adapt her recipes to suit your pantry.

It's also notorious for absorbing oil when it's fried, but that's not a problem with this recipe, where the eggplant is steamed ... to thin out the sauce. Buy Chinese or Japanese eggplants ...

A dish called “rei-shao-jao-chiezu,” whose name featured the Chinese characters for “grind,” “broil,” “spicy” and “eggplant,” piqued his interest. He had never seen the ...