Eggplant (or brinjal in India, and “badanekai” in Kannada), is a favorite vegetable in my house. The only two varieties which I was most familiar with was the Eeranagere badanekai (Eeranagere is a town near Mysore) and Matti guLLa (Matti is a town near Udupi). If we go to an Asian market we see so many varieties of eggplant. I didn’t even know their existence until I came to the US. I have now been introduced to quite a few different cuisines where eggplant is the main vegetable. Today I tried my dish with Japanese eggplant and it turned out to be tasty!
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil-2 Tbsp
Japanese eggplant- 2 cups, diced
Red onion- 1 medium, thinly sliced
Tomatoes-2 medium, chopped
Brown sugar- 3 Tsp
Soy sauce-2 Tsp
Lime juice-2 Tsp
Chilli-garlic sauce- 1½ Tsp
Bean sprouts- 1½ cup
Bamboo shoots- 1 small can, sliced
Fresh mint- 3 Tsp chopped
Preparation:
Heat oil in a Wok or large pan. Sauté onions for 2 minutes, add in eggplant, stir-fry for 10 minutes over high heat or until eggplant is brown.
Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and chilli garlic sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add bean sprouts and bamboo shoots, stir fry for a few more minutes.
Garnish with mint and serve with hot rice (preferably sticky rice).