Purple Stir Fry

SLO Farm's shades of purple at their market stand last Sunday were the inspiration for a quick stir fry.

To accompany the eggplant, I prepared some baked tofu, brushing slices of extra firm tofu with hoisin sauce and baking them in a toaster oven.

Then I chopped up eggplant, beans, some Hungarian peppers from Lonesome Whistle Farm, ginger and garlic. I also added some diced ham, because I like the combination of tofu and pork, and we had some in the refrigerator.

I stir fried these, starting with the eggplant, along with some spicy black bean paste and rice wine.

Meanwhile I cooked some soba noodles, which I stirred in at the end. I served the dish on plates of fresh mixed greens from the market, which I like even better than adding greens to the stir fry. The beans and eggplant didn't retain their brilliant shades of purple, but they came together in a satisfying meal.

Eggplant soba noodle stir fry

4 small Asian eggplants, chopped into chunks

A generous handful of beans, chopped

4 Hungarian peppers, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 inch ginger, peeled and minced

1 small block firm tofu

some diced ham (if you like)

hoisin sauce

3 Tbsp canola or grape seed oil

1 teaspoon spicy black bean paste, or to taste

~1/4 cup rice wine

8 ounces buckwheat soba noodles

1. Prepare the tofu: slice into slabs, brush with hoisin sauce, and bake in a toaster oven at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes until cooked through. Chop into cubes.

2. Boil water and cook soba noodles according to instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water and reserve.

3. Heat a large pan until it's very hot. Add oil and stir fry eggplants until they are cooked through. Add the following ingredients, cooking for a minute in between each new addition: beans, peppers, tofu, ham, ginger and garlic, black bean paste, rice wine. Then stir in reserved soba noodles and cook until heated through. 

4. Serve on top of fresh greens.