Eggplant with garlic basil sauce
Ingredients
- 400g Chinese eggplant, wedges
- 3 cups water
- 3 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 2 ½ tbsp starch
- 400g tofu puffs
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2cm ginger root, minced
- 4 dried red chilli peppers
- 2 green peppers, diced
- 2 ½ tbsp oil, divided
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 30g Thai basil leaves
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- Rice
Steps
- Soak the eggplants in a large bowl of room temperature water with vinegar for 15 minutes, cover to submerge.
- Meanwhile combine vegetable stock, soy sauces, oyster sauce, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- After soaking, pat them dry, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with starch and toss to coat well on all sides.
- Heat the wok over medium-low heat, once hot add 1 ½ tbsp oil. Turn up the heat to medium high.
- Pan fry the eggplant in batches in a single layer for 2 minutes on the first side. Flip the eggplant add more oil and fry until crisp. Set aside.
- In the same pan add the garlic, ginger, chilli peppers and salt. Sauté until fragrant.
- Add the bell pepper and cook until just softened. Then add the tofu, sauce, basil and eggplant.
- Turn heat up to high and toss for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens.