Japanese Eggplant with Chicken & Thai Basil
Ingredients
8 oz. chicken breast (225g, sliced about ¼-inch thick)
2 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus 1 teaspoon for marinating the chicken)
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 Japanese eggplants (cut on an angle into 1 1/2-inch wedges)
3 cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
3 scallions (sliced 1½ inches long on an angle, separated into white and green parts)
1 bunch Thai basil or holy basil (stems removed, about 1 cup loosely packed)
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry cooking wine)
2 teaspoons fish sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Thai thin soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
ground white pepper
¼ cup chicken stock (hot)
Directions
In a medium bowl, massage the chicken with the water until it is completely absorbed, and add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch until well incorporated. Set aside.
Heat your wok over medium-high heat and coat it with 2 tablespoons of oil. Spread the eggplant out evenly in the wok, and let sear with the cover on the wok for 2 minutes. Remove the cover, turn the eggplant pieces over, and pour another tablespoon of oil around the perimeter. Cover the wok, and turn heat to medium-low for another 2 minutes until the eggplant is just tender. Next, raise the heat to high to cook the eggplant to a golden brown color–another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to your wok and heat until just smoking. Add the marinated chicken, and spread it around the wok. Let it sear for 30 to 60 seconds (depending upon your burner capacity) on each side, and transfer back to the marinade bowl.
With the wok over high heat, add another tablespoon of oil, the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the basil. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the eggplant and chicken.
Next, add the Shaoxing wine, and stir everything together. Add the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauces, sesame oil, and white pepper, and stir until everything is combined–about a minute. Next, add the green portion of the scallions.
Pour the chicken stock around the perimeter of the wok to deglaze it. Stir fry until everything is well-combined, and most of the liquid has been absorbed by other ingredients. Serve with steamed jasmine rice!
