Thai Green Eggplant Stir-fry

I was at the HK market this week when I saw these beautiful little green eggplants a sure sign of warmer weather. We usually don't get them here till Mid-May, and our garden won't have any till June, so I was excited.

They are most commonly referred to as Thai eggplants, the cultivar is Pitch Siam, though they are common all over Southeast Asia and used in a variety of cuisines. Unlike Italian or Japanese Eggplant varieties; they are not as acidic so are often eaten raw or lightly cooked to keep their crunch.
Not wanting to over cook them and ruin their crunch and flavor, a veggie stir-fry seemed the way to go!

This stir-fry is chockfull of colorful spiced veggie goodness; the mix of chili, ginger, black soy sauce, basil and lime lightly coat the vegetables in a wonderfully fragrant sauce.

Here is my recipe for Thai Green Eggplant Stir-fry:


Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 lbs Thai Green Eggplants, quartered
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Red Onions, sliced
1/2 cup Bamboo Shoots, sliced
2 Red Chili, chopped
1 Tblsp Thai Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tblsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp Fish Sauce
3 Kaffir Lime Leaves, sliced
Few Sprigs Thai Basil, chopped
A Handful Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt & Pepper

Prep Work: Wash and cut the vegetables.

Directions:
1. Put about a tsp of salt and pepper on the quartered eggplant.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the eggplant, and mix till well coated.

3. Add the vegetables, garlic ginger paste, chilis, lime leaves and basil. Stir well.

4. Add the soy sauce stir well and cook for a minute.

5. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice, and cilantro.

Serve hot with Jasmine Rice.

Enjoy!