Eggplant with Garlic Sauce and Sticky Rice

Name: Eggplant with Garlic Sauce and Sticky Rice
Yield: serves 2
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 1 cup sushi rice; 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable broth; 1 small eggplant, peeled or not, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups); 2 scallions, white and green parts, cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths; Sea salt; 4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon sake or dry sherry; 1/2 teaspoon chili oil; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional; 1/4 jicama, peeled and julienned (see page 74 for a description of how to cut julienne-style sticks); 1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut in bite-size pieces; 1 cup fresh or frozen edamame, shelled

December 9, 2011

Eggplant with garlic sauce is one of my favorite dishes at Chinese restaurants. This version tastes slightly different because it is not wok-fried; it is much less oily than the traditional version but has a similar sweet/spicy/salty sauce. I like to use sushi rice in this recipe, but any kind of white rice or even parboiled precooked brown rice will work. Use this recipe to make almost anything with garlic sauce—broccoli, tofu, chicken, or whatever you like. Edamame are soybeans. The Japanese traditionally like to munch on these, boiled and salted, as a healthy source of protein. If you aren’t familiar with jicama, try it—it is a light, crunchy, slightly starchy root vegetable. It peels easily with a vegetable peeler and is wonderful raw in salads or as a crudité. If not using jicama, substitute carrots or celery in thin strips or a four-ounce can of sliced bamboo shoots, drained.

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