When you don't have PF Changs...

I love the food at PF Changes but unfortunately we don't have one here on the island.

While looking at the Food Network website for an eggplant recipe, I came across a Szechwan eggplant dish. It sounded delicious and a few of the comments mentioned it tasted like the Spicy Eggplant dish at PF Changs. Well that definitely piqued my interest so I decided to give it a try.It was fantastic! It's been about a year, maybe a year and a half since I have eaten at PF Changs, but it tasted exactly how I remember! In the past few weeks, I've made it several times because it is so good! I substituted a few items to accommodate the ingredients I had in the house and now I also add chicken, red bell peppers and green beans to it.

I've pasted the recipe below along with some of my notes. Enjoy!

Recipe on the Food Network website

Szechwan Eggplant Stir-Fry
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence and JoAnn Cianciulli

4 Servings
Cook 5 min
Total: 25 min

Ingredients
* 5 Asian eggplants, about 2 pounds (I halved the amount of eggplant, but kept the same size of sauce)
* 3 tablespoons peanut oil ( I didn’t have peanut oil so I used olive oil)
* 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced on a diagonal (I didn't have green onions, so I chopped up some regular onions)
* 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (I didn’t have fresh, so I chopped up the pink shredded ginger that I have in a jar)
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 fresh red chile, sliced (I didn’t have a chile so I used some chili pepper flakes instead)
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
* Thai holy basil and fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
*Half a red bell pepper, thinly sliced
*A cup of cooked chicken
*A handful of green beans

Directions

Cut the eggplants in 1/2 lengthwise and then slice crosswise into wedges, no more than 1-inch wide.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high flame and add the oils; tilt the pan to coat all sides. When you see a slight smoke, add a layer of eggplant, stir-fry until seared and sticky, about 3 minutes. (This took a lot longer than 3 minutes, more like about 8 and I felt the eggplant started to burn. Now I turn down the heat to medium and put a lid on the pan which helps to soften the eggplant, and cook it for about 10 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Make sure all the eggplant is very soft as this is the only cooking it will get)

Season with salt and pepper. Remove the eggplant to a side platter and cook the remaining eggplant in same manner, adding more oil, if needed. Once cooked, remove the eggplant from the pan and set on the side.

At this time, saute the green beans and bell peppers to soften them up, and heat the cooked chicken if it is cold. Set on the side.

After all the vegetables have been removed from the pan, add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chile; stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the broth.

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the wok and cook another minute, until the sauce has thickened.

Put the eggplant back in the pan (and green beans, bell pepper and chicken), tossing quickly, until the sauce is absorbed. Garnish with sesame seeds, Thai basil, and cilantro and serve.