Asian Spicy Pork and Eggplant over Rice

 If you love the spicy eggplant and tofu dish that is served in some Chinese restaurants, you’ll probably like this.

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
• Salt
• 1 pound of boneless pork, cut into cubes (I use country style pork ribs)
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup of chopped parsley (Use cilantro if you like it spicier)
• ½ a red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons of crushed garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 teaspoon hot chili oil
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (Use more if you like it spicier.)
• 2 cups of brown or white rice

Preparation:
Lay the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt. Allow it to sit. This step will take the bitterness out of the eggplant before cooking it.
Cook the rice in boiling water according to package directions.
Cook the pork in one tablespoon of oil until browned on all sides.
Rinse the salt off the eggplant and dry it on paper towels.
Remove the pork from the pan and cook the eggplant until tender in the same pan.
Place the eggplant with the pork.
Place the parsley, bell pepper, green onions, and garlic in the pan.
Mix the hot chili oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Pour the mixture over the vegetables, and sauté until they begin to get tender.
Add the eggplant and pork to the pan and continue to cook until the sauce thickens.
If it doesn’t thicken, mix 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and stir it into the mixture.
Serve over warm rice.



More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

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