Sometimes I get some extra produce in my weekly Papa Spuds produce box. Last week I was blessed with an abundance of a beautiful bright purple Japanese eggplant variety called “long neon”. I made a couple of different dishes with it. Actually I made this one twice because it went over so well!
Long Neon Japanese Eggplants
Japanese eggplant is more tender than traditional eggplant and is perfect for stir-frying. Sadly that lovely purple color will be mostly lost in the cooking and turn to a light brown, but there may be a few stray purple pieces. On stir-frying, the Japanese eggplant will have a soft but springy texture, which is perfectly complemented by the crunchy cabbage, green onions and sesame seeds. This would go great as a side with some teriyaki chicken skewers.
- ¾ lb Japanese eggplant
- 5 oz shredded cabbage
- 5 green onions, cut in ½-1” lengths
- 2 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 ½ Tbsp peanut oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- Cut eggplants in quarters lengthwise and then into 2 inch lengths. If your eggplant is wider you may need to do more slicing – you’re aiming for about ½ inch wide pieces.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and toast the sesame seeds just until their aroma comes. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Add 1 ½ Tbsp peanut oil to pan.
- Add eggplant and sprinkle with salt and a generous grind of pepper.
- Stir-fry 4 minutes.
- Add sherry, soy sauce and cabbage to pan.
- Cook and stir 2 minutes.
- Add sesame oil and green onions.
- Stir another minute and serve.
Where is cabbage in the recipe?
It’s in step number 6.