Spicy Thai Basil Eggplant

I frequently get a hankering for Thai food.  I've tried a fair few places in the city so far, and most have been quite good... but none have fully lived up to Basil Court back home.  So, in an effort to have the dishes I want, when I want them, I've been turning to making them myself.  You've seen my Pad Thai... that kicked the craving for awhile.  I was shocked to discover that I didn't take pictures of my matsaman curry efforts (maybe I was just too hungry to bother?), but here is my attempt at spicy Thai basil eggplant.

Mmm.  Eggplant.  I love the long, skinny Chinese variety... they're so pretty and tender!

A bit of a closer look.  See the lovely colour on those nice thin skins?

White onion, zucchini, red pepper, and basil standing at the ready.  The recipe didn't call for zucch, but I had one that was going round the bend, so I just tossed it in.

Mmm.  Look at that purple!

Pepper and onion, getting fried up.  Yes, I added the pepper.  I'm trying very hard to expand my palette with regards to the capsicum family.

Bringing it all together.  The sauce was nice and sweet and sticky... delish!!

On a bed of rice.  Funny, in this pic, some of the eggplant looks like chicken or pork pieces.  I assure you, it's all veg.

 Thai Spicy Eggplant

Adapted from "Simply Thai Cooking" by Wandee Young

Makes 3-4 servings.

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Asian eggplants, sliced into 2-inch wedges
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 2-inch wedges
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (in addition to the above oil amount)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 fresh hot chilies, finely chopped (sadly, I was out of chilies, so subbed 1 tsp chili flakes and 1 tsp Sriracha)
• 1 small white onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 20 whole leaves fresh basil (I only had Italian basil, not Thai, but meh)
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolve in 1 Tbsp water
• 2 1/2 cups freshly steamed rice

1. Heat 1 cup oil in a wok on high heat, until it is about to smoke.  Add eggplant and zucchini and fry on all sides for 2 minutes until nicely browned, and flesh is soft and can easily be pierced.
2. Remove the eggplant from the oil with a slotted spoon and place in a colander set over a bowl to drain off the excess oil.  Discard the oil in the wok and wipe it clean.
3. Add 2 Tbsp oil to the wok and immediately add garlic and chilies and stir-fry for 30 seconds.  Add onion and red pepper strips and stir-fry until softened.
4. Add the fried eggplant back to the wok.  Add soy sauce, sugar, sriracha, and 1/2 cup water and fry until everything is bubbling happily.
5. Add 2/3 of the basil leaves and the cornstarch dissolved in the 1Tbsp of water.  Stir-fry until sauce has thickened somewhat.  Remove from heat.
6. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the rest of the basil leaves.  Serve immediately with the steamed rice.

Finished product!  Time to chow down!

This was a pretty tasty dish overall.  I remember feeling a tiny bit disappointed with it... but that could have been because I was coming down with something, if my internal calendar serves.  I'll have to try it again soon!  I'll also have to make Matsaman again, so you can see how happy it makes me.  So.  Happy.

Looking forward to trying more Thai recipes and restaurants,
-Honeybee