Japanese Eggplant and Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry

🧂 Ingredients

• 3 Japanese eggplants

  or substitute with Chinese eggplants
• ½ lb oyster mushrooms
• 4-6 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 scallions

  white and green parts
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ – ½ cup hot water
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey

  substitute coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• Neutral oil for frying eggplant
• Chili garlic sauce or sriracha to taste

  optional
• Rice, noodles, sesame seeds for serving

Instructions

• 1 Start by prepping the eggplant. Slice into 1 inch chunks on a diagonal. Place
  eggplant chunks in a large bowl of cold, lightly salted water and let stand
  while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
• 2 Clean the oyster mushrooms by wiping off any dirt with a damp cloth or paper
  towel. Do not rinse or immerse in water. If the mushrooms are clumped together
  in large groups, separate them a bit by tearing them apart or cutting off the
  big bottom end of the stem that joins them together. Set aside.
• 3 Separate the white/light green part of the scallions from the dark green parts
  and thinly slice the white/light green parts. Set aside the dark green parts for
  garnishing the finished dish.
• 4 Peel and thinly slice fresh garlic cloves. Grate fresh ginger.
• 5 Drain eggplant and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Toss with half of the
  cornstarch until all pieces are evenly coated in a thin layer.
• 6 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of neutral oil
  to the pan. Fry the eggplant for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned a
  slightly charred. You may have to do this in two batches and add more oil as
  necessary. Remove eggplant from pan and set aside.
• 7 Add a ¼ cup of hot tap water to the remaining cornstarch in a small bowl to make
  a slurry.
• 8 Add a bit more neutral oil to the same skillet and fry the mushrooms until light
  golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside with eggplant.
• 9 Lower the heat a little bit and add sesame oil to the same skillet. Fry the
  thinly sliced white/light green parts of the scallions, garlic and ginger for
  1-2 minutes until softened and fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic.
• 10 Add in soy sauce, cornstarch slurry and honey and stir until the sauce thickens
  and comes together. Stir in rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce or sriracha to
  taste (if using for heat).
• 11 Add eggplant and mushrooms to the sauce and toss to coat the vegetables. If the
  sauce gets too thick or siezes up, thin it out by adding more water 1-2
  tablespoons at a time.
• 12 Cook until vegetables are thoroughly coated and warmed through. Serve
  immediately over rice or noodles, garnished with dark green parts of scallions
  and sesame seeds.

Nutrition Info