Working at home is like working at the restaurant. While Nate is taking a nap, I have about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to do things before he wakes up. Sometimes even less than 1-1/2 hours to prep, cook and clean without making that much noise.
I still have some Thai eggplants and tomato medley from Gigi (God's Grace Farm) and I need to cook it on that day while they are still fresh. Using the same ingredients but with different flavor profile, I decided to do a stir-fry. With a carbon steel wok, stir-frying is so much easier provided that the wok is heated properly. For as long as your mise en place is ready, the cooking part is much easier that doing all the preparation.
I added some Oriental flavors to the dish such as ginger, soy sauce, shao xing wine and basil. These are the ingredients used for the dish called "Three Cups Chicken" except I didn't add sesame oil and fresh chilies. With warming ingredients, it may not be appropriate for summer but it's a dish that it's quick and easy to make.
Stir-Fried Thai Eggplant with Tomatoes
Makes 4 servings
2 inch piece ginger
6 pieces garlic cloves
450 grams green Thai eggplant
450 grams yellow Thai eggplant
400 grams cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp shao xing wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp black vinegar
30 grams basil leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
To start the dish, peel and mince the ginger and garlic. Cut the top ends of the eggplant cut into halves or quarters while leaving the cherry tomatoes whole. Measure out the brown sugar, wine soy sauce, black vinegar and basil.
To cook the dish, heat the wok over high heat. When the wok is hot, add the oil. Swirl the wok to coat the surface with the oil. Add the eggplant and stir-fry until they are half done. Add the tomatoes and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and stir to coat the ingredients allowing it to caramelize. Deglaze with wine and soy sauce. Bring the dish to a simmer, cover and cook until the eggplants are done. Then add the basil and stir until just wilted. Serve with Jasmine rice.
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