Chicken and Eggplant Stir Fry
My son started going to a Taekwondo class this past summer. He’s already at a yellow belt and seems to love it. I don’t’ know how long it might last, but for right now he seems to be into it.Just downstairs from his t Taekwondo class, there’s a little Korean mart full of fresh fruit and veggies. So almost everyday that I take him to class, I run in the little mart to pick up some fruit and veg.
This past week, I decided to try the Japanese eggplant. Now these eggplant are much smaller and lighter in color to the giant dark eggplants we find in the regular grocery store. They’re also really sweet in flavor. There’s no bitterness to deal with at all.
I had been eyeing these eggplants for a few weeks, but I had no idea how they tasted or how to cook them, so I just asked someone working in the market. They were more than happy to share a few recipes and cooking tips and tricks with me.
For the Japanese eggplant, they told me to cut the sweetness by adding garlic, onion and spice. So in the stir fry, that’s what I added, along with some chicken for added protein, Thai basil and sweet red peppers. You could leave the chicken out of this dish though and make a delicious vegetarian stir fry. I served this over some cilantro rice.
I did leave the spicy Sriracha out of my stir fry though, and served it on the side. My son wouldn’t have been able to handle all that spice!
Yield: Serves 4
Chicken and Eggplant Stir Fry
4.33 stars (3 reviews)
Loading...Ingredients:
1 tablspoon olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
4 small to medium Japanese eggplant, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha (optional)
1/4 cup roughly chopped Thai basil
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
cooked white rice
Directions:
Preheat large skillet or wok. Drzzle with olive oil and add chicken. Cook until about halfway done. Add Japanese eggplant, red bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until chicken is completely done and no longer pink. Vegetables should also be tender.
Add hoisin sauce and soy sauce. If needed, add a little water to make sure all chicken and vegetables are coated in sauce, and then cook until sauce has thickened.
When stir fry is done, remove from heat and add Thai basil.
Add cilantro to hot cooked rice and toss. Serve stir fry over cilantro rice.
