Chinese Eggplants with Black Bean Sauce

By kathleentirpak

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sifted cornstarch
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 2 ( 3/4 pound ) Chinese eggplants,
• cut in half lengthwise in 8 pieces and then cut in half cross-wise
• 2 large cloves minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 can black beans, drained but not rinsed, and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 Tablespoons diced pimentos
• 2 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the chicken broth, oyster sauce, sugar, sea salt, and cornstarch, and set aside. Heat the peanut oil in a large wok at high. Stir-fry the eggplants for 5 minutes, until softened and lightly charred. Sprinkle the eggplants with garlic and ginger, and then stir-fry for another minute. Add the black beans, cayenne pepper, pimentos, and green onions; stir-fry until the onions are somewhat tender, about one minute. Whisk the broth mixture and add to wok, toss, and stir-fry until eggplants are lightly glazed.
Note : the original recipe called for only 1 Tablespoon of black beans, which would make a more sauce-y dish; as desired, you could use less than the entire can of black beans that I use.