Hoisin Eggplant in Lettuce Cups
I saw some beautiful fresh water chestnuts at a market the other day. If you haven't tried them, I highly recommend buying some if you see them.
They're so much better than their canned counterparts. Crunchy and sweet when fresh, they lose a lot in the translation into the can. Named water chestnuts for their likeness to the nut, they are an aquatic vegetable grown in Asia. I absolutely love them.
I used them with eggplant, shiitake mushrooms and a little hoisin sauce to make a tasty filling for lettuce cups.
Ingredients:
4 small Asian eggplants, cubed
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced coarsely
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
8 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and chopped fairly small
3 TBSP Hoisin sauce
First I baked the cubed eggplant at 425 F. until it was lightly browned then set aside. I water sautéed the garlic and fresh ginger briefly, then added the shiitake mushrooms and sautéed until the mushrooms were soft. Than I added the water chestnuts and baked eggplant cubes. Stir in the hoisin sauce and heat through. Serve in lettuce cups or with steamed brown rice.
I used butter lettuce for this dish. The brown rice on the side has green peas and minced cilantro. Serves two people for an appetizer portion or (as I found out last night) one hungry person for a main course.
They're so much better than their canned counterparts. Crunchy and sweet when fresh, they lose a lot in the translation into the can. Named water chestnuts for their likeness to the nut, they are an aquatic vegetable grown in Asia. I absolutely love them.
I used them with eggplant, shiitake mushrooms and a little hoisin sauce to make a tasty filling for lettuce cups.
Ingredients:
4 small Asian eggplants, cubed
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced coarsely
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
8 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and chopped fairly small
3 TBSP Hoisin sauce
First I baked the cubed eggplant at 425 F. until it was lightly browned then set aside. I water sautéed the garlic and fresh ginger briefly, then added the shiitake mushrooms and sautéed until the mushrooms were soft. Than I added the water chestnuts and baked eggplant cubes. Stir in the hoisin sauce and heat through. Serve in lettuce cups or with steamed brown rice.
I used butter lettuce for this dish. The brown rice on the side has green peas and minced cilantro. Serves two people for an appetizer portion or (as I found out last night) one hungry person for a main course.
Posted by Susan at 10/18/2009 11:25 AM 
Categories: Vegan, Chinese
Tags: Lettuce Cups Water Chestnuts Eggplant
Categories: Vegan, Chinese
Tags: Lettuce Cups Water Chestnuts Eggplant
using lettuce as cups is something I think is so great and practical. wonderful way of getting the veggies in! nice to find you via zenchef.
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Absolutely! With any meal I try to think how I can add greens. Glad you found me via zenchef. I've enjoyed reading his blog.
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