We ended up with so many eggplant in our last organic produce delivery (we have a CSA, which stands for community shared agriculture, and we get a delivery of whatever is in season and grown locally for that week) and I was running out of things to do with it. Then it dawned on me! I used to work at a Chinese Restaurant as a hostess when I was 15 years old, and this was my favorite dish. I had no idea how simple this was to make. You too can whip this up in 10 minutes, making it the perfect side dish for a weeknight dinner! 

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplant or 6 small Chinese eggplant
• Avocado oil
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tsp shredded ginger or 1/3 tsp dried ginger powder
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 TBSP cornstarch or arrowroot powder, divided
• 4 TBSP coconut aminos
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• Handful of scallions
• Sesame seeds, to garnishRecipe: original 

Instructions:

• Cut the eggplant into 1 1/2 inch chunks, then toss with 1 TBSP of cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
• In a heated skillet, add a little avocado oil and the coated eggplant. Cook over medium heat until the eggplant starts to brown, flipping to brown each side. Add in the bell pepper and 3/4 cup of water and place a lid over top, steaming the eggplant until fork tender. 
• Remove the lid and cook out any remaining liquid. Transfer eggplant and peppers to a bowl. 
• Add a little more avocado oil to the pan, add in the ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Meanwhile: in a small mixing bowl add the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch/arrowroot, coconut aminos and soy sauce. Mix until all lumps have dissolved.
• Pour the sauce into the pan along with the vegetables you set aside. Sauté for a minute until all the veggies are well coated in the sauce (if it’s too dry you can add more coconut aminos and soy sauce to taste, if it’s too liquidy cook down some of the sauce).
• Serve with a handful of chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish. Mangia! (Let’s eat!)

Original recipe, original pictures