simple egg plant

Ingredients:one large eggplant (or about 5 small ones)saltone clove garliccrushed dried shrimp (optional, found in Chinese shops)crushed chilli (optional)light soy sauce
Directions:Halve the eggplant and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Put into a colander or a bowl and salt very liberally. Leave for a few hours for the salt to draw out the water and bitterness (this also makes the eggplant absorb less oil when frying). Drain the eggplant, wash with water and squeeze out the excess water. Heat one tablespoon of oil in frypan and add garlic, dried shrimp and chilli. Fry till garlic is soft and fragrant. Add drained eggplant and stirfry till the eggplant skins are soft and the flesh is mushy. Check the eggplant for taste. Add a bit of light soy sauce if the eggplant is not salty enough. Serve with rice.