Japanese Eggplant Makes A Summer Treat

There's good and bad about growing your own summer veggies.  The good part is you have fresh, summer veggies in abundance.  You get so many zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant that you don't know what to do with them.  The bad part is also that you get so many veggies you end up giving them away.  I have a recipe to help use up those extra Japanese eggplants.  It's a recipe I've been making for years, and I think you will love it.

                                                    Chinese style Japanese Eggplant

1 1/2 lbs. Japanese eggplant
1 T. oil
1 T. fresh ginger

Sauce

3 T. light soy sauce
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 T. sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste with garlic

Cut eggplant lengthwise into thick, shreds.  Put on a heatproof plate and place plate on steamer.  Steam, covered for 30 minutes or until eggplant is tender.  If you don't have a steamer, set eggplant on a rack over double boiler and steam.  Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Heat oil in wok.  Stir fry garlic and ginger on low heat, then pour in sauce and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, cool, and pour sauce over eggplant.

This dish is delicious hot, but I often make it as a cold salad and eat it as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.  It fills you up and tastes fantastic.  I hope you enjoy.