2 oriental eggplant cut into bite size chunks
1/3 cup frozen peas
1 chopped scallion
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons shao sing rice wine
1/2 teaspoon black bean chile paste
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with water to form a thin paste
Put everything except the cornstarch mixture into the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch and serve with brown rice or Japanese soba noodles. The variations are endless. You can replace the eggplant with firm tofu cut into 1 inch cubes. This past weekend, I used a mixture of tofu and vegetarian abalone that I got in an oriental market. The peas can be replaced with any mixture of green vegetables or mushrooms. I've even used fresh spinach. Any oriental paste type condiment can substitute for the black bean chile paste. Chile paste with sweet basil is particularly good. You can also use a little curry powder, or leave it out altogether.
[Susan's Note: My best combination of ingredients so far has been eggplant, mushrooms and cubed seitan. Also, I double the ingredients to make more. I made it once with chunks of pineapple and left out the black bean paste in favor of a sweet and sour sauce.]
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Posted: 7/22/2009 10:04:27 PM