I was going to make “Eggplant with Ginger and Garlic” (Wi xiang que zi) the other night, but then I realized I had no ginger and no garlic. It was a recipe from my new cookbook, the Asian Vegan Kitchen. So I made up something else, and it was very yummy.

Savory Eggplant Stirfry

Ingredients (serves 2-ish, or one Maggie who steals most of it and Bobby gets 2 bites)

• 3 small eggplants, chopped in cubes
• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil (or other cooking oil)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon Asian 5-spice powder (I LOVE THIS STUFF – but you can substitute with cumin, chili powder, turmeric, or other savory spices)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or other vinegar)
• 2-3 teaspoons brown rice syrup (or other sweetener)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Saute the eggplant cubes in a wok or saute pan.  I did not use oil here, but I did spray a little bit of PAM in the wok before I added the eggplant.  Saute for about 4 minutes – they should be slightly browned and tender.  Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in your wok/saute pan.  Add the scallions, onion, and spices.  Saute for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the eggplant back into the wok.  Add the vinegar, soy sauce, and brown rice syrup. Cook for another minute or two.  Serve hot.

This dish is slightly sweet but savory at the same time.  Bobby got a few bites, but he’s not an eggplant person so I got to have most of it.  We had it with whole wheat couscous.

Check out this cool Japanese dish I made for Bobby the other night – Shrimp Tatsutaage (fried shrimp).

His had calamari in it too, because I used a frozen mix of random seafood.  He loved it, and it was the first time I had ever actually used my wok to deep-fry something… Actually, the first time I ever deep-fried something.  Just Bento is one of my favorite blogs and I love her posts.  That’s where I got the bento article from yesterday.

What was the first food blog you ever read? I think mine was Vegalicious – fabulous.

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