Spicy Eggplants

This recipe comes from my friend La. I have no idea where she got it from. When we lived together, the two of us went on a glut of copying down recipes. We each had a stack six inches thick of things we wanted to try, and we would have to take turns being in charge of the cooking because we both wanted to choose the recipe.

I've changed the recipe around a bit (who has szechuan peppers?) and added some quantities (the recipe just says "chili" what kind and how much?). This is a good one to try on eggplant haters. It's also good for that eggplant that's been sitting in your fridge too long and is starting to go bad. Just cut and discard any brown spots.

Spicy Eggplants

1 pound eggplant (about one med to large)
3 tablespoons oil for frying
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch of ginger, chopped
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups broth

Cup eggplant into cubes. Set in a collander, sprinkle with salt, and let the juices drain. After about 30 minutes, squeeze any excess liquid from the eggplant and rinse off the salt.*

While you're waiting, combine soy sauce, hoisin, chili garlic sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and broth. Set aside. (This is a good time to start the rice, too.)

Saute the garlic, ginger, and onion in the oil over medium heat for about 30 seconds, or until they are fragrant. Add eggplant and saute another 2 minutes.

Add the sauce mixture, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Increase the heat to reduce the sauce until thick. This took me about six minutes.

*If you're in a hurry, you can skip this step. Salting the eggplant is supposed to get rid of any bitterness. It's more important if your eggplant has been sitting around for a while, but if you just bought it today, you can skip it.