This recipe came to me when I was thinking about sweet and sour dishes from our past dining experiences.
I found a renal cookbook that had a great sweet and sour meatloaf recipe. I took that sauce and adapted it to create this Sweet and Sour Eggplant recipe.
You can make it as a vegetarian side dish without protein, or you can add your favorite protein. In addition, you can make it spicy or mild according to your taste.
Enjoy!
Sweet and Sour Eggplant
made with or without protein
Ingredients:
3-4 Small Eggplants – Cut into strips
(You can use graffiti, Chinese or any variety. I especially like the purple ones, but you can mix and match.)
1 Red Pepper – Cut into strips and in half
1 large container of Mushrooms – Sliced the mushrooms
1½ cups of White Vinegar (Start with a cup and add more to taste)
4-5 Tablespoons of Dark Brown Sugar
2 Teaspoons Sun Luck Hoisin Sauce
2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh Basil (you can use more if you like)
4-5 Cloves of garlic–minced
3 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil
2-3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Broth (I use No Sodium Chicken Broth)
Chili Powder – optional
Garlic Powder
Choice of Protein
Ground Pork (used here)
Other Protein Choices:
-Chicken – chicken tenders cooked and then cut in chunks
-Firm tofu – cut into chunks
Preparing the Protein:
I cook the protein separately and season it with garlic powder and olive oil as needed. Then I add it to the eggplant mixture below.
Preparing the Eggplant Mixture:
1. Mix the vinegar and brown sugar together and add the Hoisin Sauce. You want to yield about 2 cups total. Taste and adjust as needed.
2. In a large skillet combine the oils.
3. Add the minced Garlic and Eggplant and heat.
4. If you need more liquid add ½ cup of low sodium chicken broth to the mix. (You can use another broth depending on your needs.)
5. Mix the vinegar and brown sugar together and add the Hoisin Sauce. You want to yield about 2 cups total. Taste and adjust as needed.
6. In a large skillet combine the oils.
7. Add the minced Garlic and Eggplant and heat.
8. If you need more liquid add ½ cup of low sodium chicken broth to the mix. (You can use another broth depending on your needs.)
9. Add mushrooms and start cooking, cover as needed.
10. In a small skillet brown and cook the Ground Pork (or protein of your choice). Break the ground pork into small pieces and season with Garlic Powder.
11. Once the Pork is drained add it to the mostly cooked Eggplant
12. Add the Sweet and Sour Mixture.
13. Add the Red Pepper and stir
14. Add Fresh Basil and stir
15. Add a few shakes of Garlic powder and stir
16. Optional: If you like your food on the spicy side, shake in some Chili Powder and Stir
17. Let the mixture cook and boil down then turn the heat down. Make sure not to cook away all of the liquid
18. Stir and Cover as needed
19. Make sure the Eggplant is fully cooked.
20. Serve with rice if you like
We have had this dish meat-free; we have also tried it with all the proteins above. It reheats and freezes beautifully and is versatile and delicious!
More recipe links can be found in our recipe index.