Recipe of the Week: Tamarind Eggplant and Chicken

Okay, just one more Asian recipe before we embark on something new for next week!

This has been a great year for eggplants. We have two plants in our garden (lavender and little fingers), but we've also been buying some other varieties from our local farmers' market. Eggplants are little gems in the garden. You can find them in many different types of cuisines. Eggplant has such a mild flavor on its own you can pretty much do whatever you want with it. Fry up some eggplant parmesan, make Middle-Eastern eggplant stew, or, in the case of this week's recipe, stir-fry them Thai-style with some chicken!

Ingredients
2lb eggplant, trimmed and cut into small cubes
1/2 lb chicken, sliced thinly
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Thai chilies, seeded and sliced thinly
1 cup fresh basil (use Thai or Holy basil if you can find them!)
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

Directions
Whisk fish sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, tamarind paste, sugar, and cornstarch to make a sauce. Set aside.
In a large wok, heat about 2 tbsp of oil over high heat, then cook eggplant until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Turn heat down to medium high and stir-fry bell pepper, garlic, and chilies, about 1 minute.
Add chicken and cook thoroughly.
When chicken is cooked, add the reserved eggplant and sauce. Stir to combine.
Turn off heat, and add the basil leaves.
Toss to combine.
Serve hot over rice.