Szechwan Eggplant Stir Fry

When I'm fixing food primarily for myself, there are those dishes that I make that really only I, vegetarians, vegans, and other veggie-happy folks like.  Basically, when given the choice, I often decide to prepare foods that are primarily vegetable based like stir fry dishes, roasted vegetables, salads, etc.  I don't normally cook these dishes out of a "stay healthy craze" (although such dishes do have their benefits!), but more out of what I crave on a regular basis.  As I mention in many of my posts--I LOVE vegetables.  I think they're the most flavorful, delicious, nutritionally packed dishes. Further, if prepared properly, vegetables can be fixed in a plethora of ways that don't seem like you're "eating your vegetables" the way mom once demanded!

Tonight, I made a dish in this category: Szechwan Eggplant Stir Fry courtesy of Tyler Florence over at Food Network (you can find the original recipe here).  Many of my friends know Tyler Florence as one of my several TV boyfriends (I can't help myself! His fast-paced/"this is so easy!"/"I like butter and cream" style of cooking really gets me excited about the cooking process).  Plus, I know that if I make something by Tyler Florence (just like if I make something by Elise Bauer) it's going to be a hit every time.  As usual, this recipe has several changes--I used regular onions instead of green onions, less oil and more water than directed, traditional eggplant rather than Japanese eggplant, and a combination of chili flakes instead of a red chili.  Depending on your speed of cooking, this can be a pretty quick recipe to make, but I really took my sweet time getting the eggplant prepared just right, so it can take longer.  Whichever way you make this dish--either Tyler's or my own--it's guaranteed to be clearly delicious!

Szechwan Eggplant Stir Fry
When preparing this dish, make sure to cook the eggplant all the way through.  Eggplant is a funny vegetable in that we hardly ever eat it raw because it tastes..well...not disgusting, but somewhat impalatable.  So, when pan-frying your purple friend, make sure that the eggplant pieces are tender on each side, not crispy or stiff.  This way, you'll have a juicier main ingredient that's guaranteed to absorb and contribute to the sauce it's prepared with.

* 1 medium sized eggplant, ripe & cut into 1inch diagonal pieces
* 3 tablespoons peanut oil
* 1 tablespoon soybean oil
* kosher salt and cracked pepper, to taste
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 3 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
* 1/2-1 tablespoon red chili flakes
* 1-2 tablespoons of ginger, or one 1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon corn starch
* 1 tablespoon sesame seeds to garnish, optional

1.) First, prepare the eggplant.  Wash and halve your eggplant making sure to fully remove the top stem.  Halve both halves of the eggplant (you'll have four medium sized eggplant pieces).  For me, this cutting process seems very logical given what Tyler Florence suggests you do in the original recipe--since I'm working with a regular medium-to-large eggplant and not 4-5 Japanese eggplants, then separating the eggplant into quadrants gives us a similar size and preparational effect.
2.) Once you have your quadrants, cut the quadrants into strips at a diagonal; then, cut diagonal strips into 1 inch pieces.
3.) Add oil to large saucepan and heat up on medium heat.  Once you begin to see smoke/steam rising from the pan, add a layer of eggplant.  Salt and pepper eggplant to taste and flip strips to cook both sides.  Tyler Florence suggests cooking until eggplant is "sticky" at about three minutes.  However, depending on the heat of the stove, the size of the pieces, your crisp-to-soggy eggplant preference, etc., it's really going to depend how long you cook these pieces.  For me, my 1 inch diagonal pieces (at a medium-to-small thickness) took closer to 5-10 minutes depending on the heat.  The best way to determine when to pull your pieces is when they've one, been cooked for a few minutes on both sides and two, are tender on both sides.  You can decide how much longer to cook them from there.
4.) Once the layer of eggplant is cooked, place on a separate dish and cook another layer of eggplant in the same manner until all of the vegetable is prepared.  This may take around 20-30 minutes depending on your cooking speed and other variants.  Also, note about the oil here: as with many of Tyler Florence's recipes, he suggests additions of butter, oil, cream, etc. according to your preference.  Here, he suggests that you continue to "add oil as needed."  Unfortuntely, this instruction can be a dangerous tip nutritionally and flavorwise. The way I see it, I want to eat my vegetables, but I don't want them to slide down covered in oil right? What's the point? Most Americans will probably follow this instruction and douse the pan with oil every five minutes.  If you're unlike these people, or want a healthier way of preparing this dish, then add water to the pan in the same way you'd add oil.  Every time you add water, you can also add a tablespoon or two of oil.  Again, personal preference here!
5.) Now that the eggplant is cooked, prepare the sauce.  Go ahead and mix the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, corn starch, and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl.  Mix to integrate and so that the sugar and the corn starch are fully dissolved.
6.) Add chopped onion, minced/pressed garlic, and ginger, to the hot pan you cooked the eggplant in.  Cook for one minute or until "aromatic."  Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and cook for a couple more minutes.  Add the brown sauce you prepared to this mixture and cook for one minute.
7.) Now, add the prepared eggplant to this sauce and cook for 1 minute.
8.) Remove from heat and serve over rice or pasta.  Enjoy!


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