Chinese-Style Eggplant Stirfry

Chinese-Style Eggplant Stirfry

Eggplant season is fast upon us, and yes, there is more to do with an eggplant than a red-sauce parmigiano.  Eggplant of any variety, not just the smaller Japanese eggplants, are delicious over brown rice when cooked in a hot wok.  We sometimes order Chinese-style eggplant from our favorite takeout place but the homemade version is more flavorful and less greasy to be sure.   This is a great meal to get you back on track after a weekend of eating, that at least for me this time, included pork tenderloin and ricotta tartlets.  Let the vegan workweek begin!

Chinese-Style Eggplant Stirfry
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2-4 Eggplants depending on size and variety, peeled and cubed.
1-2 cups short-grained brown rice
1-2 cups vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 tbsp canola or olive oil

For the sauce:
2-4 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sriracha or other hot chili sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp finely grated ginger

Directions: Bring two cups of water to a boil for one cup brown rice or four cups water to a boil for two cups brown rice in a saucepan (A 1/4 cup of dry brown rice is a serving, but if you are not including any other sides in your meal, you may want to portion a 1/2 cup dried brown rice per person depending on how hungry your crowd is-my crowd is always hungry).  When it reaches a roaring boil, add a tbsp of vegan butter substitute, add the rice grains and stir with a fork. Then reduce the heat to low and cover, letting the rice cook until the water has evaporated- about 45 minutes .  While you are peeling and chopping the eggplant and preparing the onion and garlic, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and garlic and cook for five minutes or so, stirring occasionally to keep the garlic from burning.  Add the cubes of eggplant and a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of vegetable broth.  Continue stirring occasionally and adding a 1/4 cup or so of veggie broth to the pan as it evaporates to keep the wok from drying out (using broth in place of oil also keep it less greasy).  You want to keep doing this until the eggplant has become very tender but not yet mushy.  Once it has reached this perfect sweet spot and the veggie broth is mostly evaporated, add the ingredients for the sauce to the wok and stir a few times to incorporate.  If your rice is not yet done, turn the heat on the work to low and let it rest until it is, but it's better to time your wok cooking so that the eggplant is ready right around the same time as the rice.  Otherwise, as it sits, it may get soggy and lose a little of its fresh heat from the hot wok.  Spoon the brown rice onto plates and then top them with generous portions of the Chinese-style eggplant.  Offer soy sauce and hot chili sauce at the table.