Steamed eggplant with tomato chilli sauce

This is a simple dish which was served at least once a week in my family. As a child I found it challenging to eat at first but it then became a firm favourite—although most of my brothers and sisters avoided it. I prepared the eggplant in the same style at Neddy’s, in the octopus salad dish, and it was very well received. The Chinese always sprinkle spring onion with white pepper, believing it accentuates the flavours of both ingredients.

The striking feature of this dish is the cr