Ingredients

1/2 onion chopped (yellow or red)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1-3 red thai chillies (including seeds), depending on how spicy you like it.

1 Chinese (large, with dark purple skin) eggplant, or 2 (thinner, with light purple skin) Japanese eggplants - Chopped bite-size.

Other fresh vegetables (red bell peppers are a good choice) - Chopped bite-size.

1/2 cup water for stir-frying

Roughly 1/2 cup (or more) fresh basil (thai basil or sweet basil)

2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

SAUCE:

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water (mix until cornstarch is dissolved, keep in separate bowl)

Preparation

  1. First, prepare sauce by mixing together all sauce ingredients except cornstarch. Prepare the cornstarch and water mixture in a separate cup or bowl. Set both aside.
  2. Chop the eggplant up into bite-size pieces (leave the peel on)
  3. Chop other vegetables you are adding
  4. Place 2-3 Tbsp oil (peanut or olive) in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, half of the garlic, chillies, eggplant, other vegetables. Reserve the rest of the garlic for later.
  5. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. When the wok or frying pan becomes dry, add a little of the water (a few Tbsp at a time) - enough to keep the ingredients frying nicely.
  6. Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce and continue stir-frying for 5 more minutes, or until the eggplant is soft and the white flesh is almost translucent. Add a little more water when the pan becomes too dry (up to 1/4 cup).
  7. When the eggplant is soft, add the rest of the garlic plus the sauce. Stir-fry to incorporate.
  8. Lastly, add the cornstarch/water mixture. Stir well so that the sauce thickens uniformly (this will only tale a minute or less). Remove from heat.
  9. Taste test the eggplant for salt. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too salt, add 1 Tbsp lime juice (or substitute 1 tbsp lemon juice).
  10. Add 3/4 or the fresh basil, stirring briefly to incorporate.
  11. Slide onto a serving platter and sprinkle the rest of the basil over the top. Serve with jasmine rice.