Posted on: Wednesday, June 29, 2005

LIGHT & LOCAL
Szechuan eggplant with less oil

By Carol Devenot

A friend suggested that I lighten up the recipe for the popular restaurant dish Szechuan spicy eggplant, sometimes called eggplant with pork. She said it is very tasty but has a great deal of oil. It sounded so 'ono that I stopped off at a Chinese restaurant in Hawai'i Kai and placed my order. It came out piping hot and looked good except that the planks of eggplant were swimming in oil. But I was ravenous after my workout, and ate the whole thing.

A few minutes later, while I was doing some shopping, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and had to head right home. The little voice in my head said, "Drink lots of hot tea." That's what Mom always said.

This gave me more incentive to introduce my own recipe for spicy eggplant.

Technically, eggplant is a berry. It comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from 2 to 12 inches in length. There are creamy-white, egg-shaped eggplants; thin Japanese eggplants; grape-like small green Thai eggplants; rosy pink and purple-and-white-striped eggplants; and purple eggplant. The most common in the United States is the pear-shaped purple variety.

The Japanese eggplant has a delicate flavor and a thin skin. There is no need to peel the skin because it will soften during the cooking process. Its flesh is smoother and there are fewer seeds than in the common eggplants. You can see why most cooks prefer it.

Wood-ear mushrooms, part of the recipe, are also called tree ear and black fungus. They are believed by many to be good for the heart. Wood ears do, indeed, look like ears growing out of trees, hence the name. They are usually sold dried, and are reconstituted in warm water. The texture is crunchy and the flavor is mild. They make a nice meat replacement in stir-fries and other dishes. You can usually purchase them at large supermarkets and at Asian grocery stores. I was able to purchase a bag at my local Foodland.

This was a simple stir-fry, delicious with steamed brown rice. No fo'get the hot tea, although you won't need it to cut the oil in this dish, which uses just a little cooking spray.

Spicy Szechuan Eggplant

• 1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 red chili peppers, minced or
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 2 slices ginger, peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Canola oil cooking spray
• 1 cup boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1&Mac253;-inch strips
• 1 1/2 pounds Japanese eggplant peeled and cut into 3-inch strips
• 1 cup wood-ear fungus (or shiitake, straw, or other mushrooms), soaked in hot water and sliced into 1 1/2-inch strips

Want a local recipe lightened up? Write Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802 or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com. Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing Publishing, paperback, 2003). Learn more at www.islandlightcuisine.com.