Spicy Stir-Fry Eggplant


I have two pork chops left from the Crunchy Baked Pork Chops episode and a couple of eggplants needing immediate attention (they must feel so ignored and irrelevant because I've been cooking a lot of stuff that I totally overlooked them) so I thought why not turn the two into a dish? Individually, they're both good already but they will be great together. This time, I did it with an easy Asian flair.

Ingredients:

canola or olive oil
2 pork chops sliced thinly
2 eggplant quartered then chopped into one inch pieces then soaked in salted water to prevent browning
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons oyster sauce plus 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 yellow or red bell pepper, cut into strips
chopped green onion
Thai basil or cilantro or both

Procedure:
Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat
Drain the eggplant in a colander and shake off excess water
Sauté in the pan until a little tender, scoop when half done (I did this because I was lazy to oven roast the eggplant)
Add the sliced pork and brown both sides
Add the onion and cook until it caramelizes
Add sambal oelek and oyster sauce diluted in water and let it cook for a minute
Add the eggplant and gently toss together
Add sesame oil, bell pepper and green onion and simmer for three minutes more
Add chopped cilantro or Thai basil or both and serve with steamed rice

It was so spur of the moment and simple but it is a very tasty dish. The pork is already seasoned, the eggplant is sweet and it marries well with the salty-sweet taste of oyster sauce, the yummy goodness of sesame oil, the kick from sambal oelek and the freshness from the basil leaves and bell pepper.

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