So to start off this new habit, I picked up an eggplant! Okay, not something entirely new, I have had it before, BUT I can say that I have never really cooked with it. I have had it fried before, but never IN a dish. So tonight, that was my goal: To incorporate Eggplant into a dish; and I did it! (The picture below shows the Eggplant chopped up.)
I have had stir-fry on the brain for about a week now, and so I decided to try one out! Whenever I attempt a dish that you can tweak or add more ingredients to, that's what I tend to do. The only problem with making a stir-fry is that they always tend to turn out bigger than you expect them to.... In this case, I ended up cooking with TWO skillets... The largest ones I had, until the veggies cooked down. I searched stir-fry recipes with Eggplant in them on the internet and this was the recipe that I found and used as a starter (I say starter because it ended up nothing like the original). Szechuan Spicy Eggplant
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Szechuan-Spicy-Eggplant/Detail.aspx
It basically contained 1 Eggplant, oyster sauce, ginger root, ground beef, shrimp, onion, garlic, chicken stock and spices.... I omitted the oyster sauce, ginger root, ground beef and shrimp! I told you, I can't leave a recipe alone! Ha. So here is how I made my Eggplant stir-fry:
1 Eggplant 2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Cup stir-fry sauce (one you like!)
1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch 8 Tablespoons water
3 cloves garlic 1 Small bunch green onions
1/2 Red onion 1 Palm full of fresh basil
2 Peppers ( I used 1 orange & 1 yellow)
About 2 cups of fresh spinach
1 Cup of fresh bean sprouts
2 Large carrots
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1. Remove the eggplant stem and cut into 1-inch cubes. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, chicken stock, stir fry sauce, sugar and ground black pepper. Stir together well and set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water in another separate bowl, and set aside.
2. Coat a LARGE, deep pan with oil over high heat and allow a few minutes for it to get very hot. Saute the garlic, onions, carrots and peppers, stirring constantly, until they begin to brown. Stir in the chicken and cook, again stirring constantly, until browned.
3.. Pour the eggplant, spinach and bean sprouts into the pan and stir all together. Pour the reserved soy sauce mixture over all, cover the pan, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and let heat until thickened. Finally, stir in the sesame oil and red pepper flakes.
- Serve over cooked rice or noodles, whichever you prefer. (I made white rice.)
So as I noted above, I used two skillets until the very last minute when I had to mix everything together... Because of making this recipe, I REALLY, really want a Wok... I mean hey, I need to be official and everything! Maybe I'll even be able to mix the food by flipping it in the air while cooking, instead of using a stirring utensil! *NEW GOAL!*
Anyways, I liked my concoction, I would have preferred it a bit more spicy, but I had to tone it down for the other diners that just couldn't handle the heat! *whimps* I mean... Just kidding. I could have probably added a bit more of the stir-fry sauce or more seasoning to bring out the flavors. But it was still good and contained loads of veggies!! I'm sure the soy sauce brought the sodium level up pretty high, but I still felt slightly healthy eating this meal!
Well, after a hearty dinner, fro-yo (Edy's fudge brownie frozen yogurt in the purple container to be exact), and Dancing with the Stars, I'm out for the night! I will be dreaming of a wok and thinking about what I will buy next when I go to the grocery store!
Buenos Noches!
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