Ingredients
- Oil and Spices- 3 tbsp Avocado Oil or any Preferred vegetable oil: divided, 1 tsp Black pepper divided, 1/2 tsp Salt divided (adjust as per your taste)
- Pantry- 1 tbsp Corn Starch, 1/4 cup Water
- Produce- 1 lb Long eggplants Japanese or Chinese: 2 long, diced ½ inch diagonally, 8 oz Tofu Super firm: ½ of a block, 250 g Red onion 1 medium diced into large cubes, 1/2 cup Green bell pepper ¼ of pepper diced into large cubes, 1/2 cup Red bell pepper ¼ of pepper diced into large cubes, 1/2 cup Yellow bell pepper ¼ of pepper diced into large cubes, 20 g Ginger 2-inch knob thinly julienned, 1 tbsp Garlic 2-3 cloves minced, 3 g Thai Green Chili or Serrano: 2-3 in number thinly julienned, 20 g Thai Basil 1 cup leaves
- For the sauce- 1 tbsp Tahini, 2 tbsp Low Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce, 2 tbsp Rice vinegar, 1 tbsp Maple Syrup or Sugar, 1 tbsp Sriracha adjust as per your spice level, 1 tsp Chili-Garlic Paste adjust as per your spice level, 1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil, 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice Mix, 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
Recipe Description
Thai-style, Eggplant stir-fried with Basil and Chili garlic sauce (Pad Prik Pao Ma Keua Praw) is soft, spicy and a little sweet recipe. Thai basil adds a very fresh flavor to this vegan, gluten free and delicious stir fry eggplant recipe. A simple sauce, eggplant, onions, peppers, and Thai basil come together quickly to make a delicious vegan side dish or main meal dish when served over rice, noodles, or quinoa.
Recipe Directions
Instructions
Prep work Instructions:
- Prepare sauce: Mix all the ingredients listed under sauce in a small bowl, whisk them all together and keep it aside. Add more sriracha sauce if you prefer spicier.
- Prepare Eggplant: To prepare eggplants cut off the top and bottom tips and sliced them diagonally into ½ inch thick slices. Season the sliced eggplant with salt, pepper, oil and air fry them at 350-degree F for 8 minutes. Once done keep them aside.
- Prepare tofu: To prepare tofu, wrap between kitchen paper towel and squeeze as much possible water out. Then chop into bite size, season with oil, salt, pepper and air fry at 350-degree for 8 minutes.
To Prepare the Recipe:
- Heat oil in a pan on a medium pan, once oil is hot, add julienned ginger, green chilis, minced garlic and sauté for a minute or until garlic turned little brown.
- Now, add cubed onions and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes on high heat, they should remain crunchy.
- Then add cubed bell pepper and stir fry along with onions for another minute, try not to overcook them to maintain the crunch.
- Now, add air fried eggplant and tofu to stir fried vegetables and give a quick mix.
- Next, stir in the prepared sauce mixture and stir to coat the eggplant and veggies, lower the heat to avoid overcooking.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into ¼ cup water, making sure the cornstarch is fully dissolved, then add it to the pan and stir gently until the sauce is thickened, about 30 – 40 seconds.
- Turn of the heat and let the eggplant and veggies cool down for a minute, then toss in the basil and fold it carefully into the eggplant. You just want basil to wilt a little.
- Serve immediately with some hot fried rice as a one-dish meal, or on a small plate as a vegetable side dish to be eaten with other foods.
