Braised Eggplant

I was trying to find a new way to cook eggplant without grilling or baking (because I can't do either of those right now) AND without having to go out and buy something I don't have or don't want to eat (many recipes called for beef, pork or beef broth). So, I took a few notes that were prevalent in what I was looking at and used the sauce from braised tofu, making a few changes given that eggplant does not take to flavor as fast as tofu. Came out great!

Ingredients:

• 2 Asian/Japanese/Chinese eggplants (the long thin ones, but I suppose you can use globe/Italian), sliced into 1/2 in thick slices. It is optional to take the skin off, it will be more chewy with the skin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 slice of ginger, chopped fine
• 4 TBSP + 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 4 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 TBSP chili paste (or hot sauce if you want to make it less Asian)
• 3 green onions (again, I count three from the base where they were attached, not the top where they are separate)

Directions:

1) Heat 2 TBSP vegetable oil in a pan.
2) Make the sauce with 1 tsp vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, chili paste and green onions.







3) Add the onion, garlic and ginger and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion starts to become seethrough.







4) Add the eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often so the eggplant cooks on all sides.
5) At some point with the eggplant (depending on how wet or dry yours is), you will need to add the rest (2 TBSP) of the vegetable oil, as the onion and eggplant will have sucked it all up, which will lead to burning if you do not add more.



6) Once the eggplant is brown on both sides, add the sauce.
7) Cook until the sauce is reduced.
8) Serve with rice.