I just pulled a Ziplok baggie of last year's Hansel & Gretel eggplants from the freezer to cook this evening.
Spicy Asian Eggplant over Uncle Ben's Jasmine Rice. YUM-my!
"Eggplant cubes are stir-fried until browned, then simmered in a spicy Asian-inspired sauce with onion and garlic until meltingly tender."
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or other oil)
4 Japanese eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes (I slice them on the diagonal, like plantains)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic (I increase to two tablespoons)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tbs. water (use shrimp broth or rice wine vinegar)
Fresh Broccoli flowerettes (I've yet to include the broccoli)
1& 1/2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce (I've substituted about 1 tbsp. fish sauce)
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar (I use brown sugar instead)
Ground black pepper (or red pepper flakes), to taste
1/2 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil (careful -- a little goes a looooooooooong way...)
Toasted Sesame Seeds for texture (optional - I've never added these)
Fresh Ginger (optional - but, I slice mine up and toss it in at the end to keep the crunch --a wonderful addition!)
Shrimp, chicken, beef, or firm Tofu for protein (I prefer to use shrimp)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Cook and stir the eggplant cubes until they begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
2. Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, and cook and stir the onions just until they begin to soften, about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic, and cook and stir an additional 30 seconds. Mix in the soy sauce, water, oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar, and black pepper, and stir to form a smooth sauce. (Play with this mixture until you like the way it tastes...)
3. Return the eggplant to the skillet, lower the heat, and allow the vegetables and sauce to simmer until the eggplant is tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 5-25 minutes (time depends on the consistency you want your eggplant to be -- you decide).
4. Drizzle a couple drops of sesame oil over the dish, and give one final brief stir to combine.
I serve my eggplant over steamed white rice. I LOVE Uncle Ben's Jasmine rice (90 seconds in the microwave), and will be trying this with the eggplant, tonight!
P.S. The Hansel & Gretel eggplants are long and slender. They have thinner skins, and, if picked very young, do NOT need to be peeled. However, the skins get chewy and the fruits get more bitter the older they are picked. The sugar and the natural sweetness of the shrimps (in this recipe) tends to neutralize any bitterness from older fruits.
Just try to pick an eggplant when it is shiny!!!
Enjoy!
