Eggplant and Corn Sesame Stir Fry
We combine a fresh small eggplant with frozen and canned veggies to create an easy, tasty, vegetarian main course. There are baby corn pieces in the frozen vegetable mix (Trader Joe's brand, we do not use the sauce packet here), but our children love baby corn so we also add some canned baby corn. We serve the stir fry over white rice, but this would also be delicious on noodles or on its own as a side to an asian meal. Originally served as part of: Simple Stir Fry and Egg Rolls.
- Broccoli-Tofu Stir Fry (April 10, 2002)
- Lemony Vegetable Stir Fry (June 7, 2002)
- Vegetarian Stir-Fried Soba Noodles (April 22, 2002)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh, peeled, grated)
- 4 teaspoons frozen mix of black and white sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon canola oil
- 8 ounces small, firm eggplant
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1½ cups frozen mix of sugar snap peas, broccoli, baby corn, green beans, water chestnuts, red bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms asian vegetables
- ½ can whole baby corn (drained and rinsed)
- fresh, cleaned cilantro
Instructions
We begin by pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees.
We make the sauce for the stir fry by mixing the soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, water, sugar, red pepper flakes, and grated ginger.
We spread the two kinds of sesame seeds on a parchment-covered cookie sheet (we store all our opened nuts and seeds in the freezer) and place them in the oven for just a couple of minutes. We want them fragrant. We remove them to a bowl.
Next, we prep all the ingredients for the stir fry in different bowls. We rinse and pat dry the eggplant and chop it into 1/2 inch pieces. We have about 2 cups of cubed eggplant. Then, we mince our peeled shallot, yielding 3 tablespoons. Finally, we mince our garlic.
We heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add the oil, and, when hot, quickly add the eggplant. We stir fry for a few minutes, add the shallots, and stir for another minute. Next, we add the garlic, stir, and add the frozen vegetables (we could have defrosted these in the microwave, but we do not bother here). When the frozen vegetables are warm and the eggplant is tender, we add the sauce and lower the heat to low. We add the canned baby corn and heat through.
We serve with the toasted sesame seeds, more red pepper flakes, and cilantro on top.
Ingredients
- 4 tsp frozen black and white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tbsp dry sherry
- 1 tbsp water
- ½ tsp sugar
- red pepper flakes (a pinch)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and grated)
- 8 oz small firm eggplant
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tbsp canola oil
- 1½ cups frozen Asian vegetable mix (sauce packet not used)
- ½ can whole baby corn (drained and rinsed)
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Grown-up
Heat the oven to 375°F and toast the sesame seeds on a parchment-lined sheet a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
Kid job
Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, water, sugar, pepper flakes and ginger for the sauce.
Grown-up
Rinse and dry the eggplant and cut it into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups). Mince the shallot (about 3 tablespoons) and the garlic.
Grown-up
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Stir-fry the eggplant a few minutes, the shallot 1 minute, then the garlic and frozen vegetables until warm and the eggplant is tender. Add the sauce, lower to low, and heat the baby corn through.
Serve over rice with the sesame seeds, more pepper flakes and cilantro.