Thai Basil Eggplant (Pud Makau Yow)

This is one of the easiest dishes I've even made. Make sure you salt the eggplant for an hour or so before you cook it so it is not bitter. The basil and fish sauce were a nice combination. Next time I might double the amount of sugar and fish sauce in order to make sauce. I also didn't use 5 cups of eggplant--I used just 1 eggplant total. I served the eggplant over rice noodles. Very easy and tasty.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh basil (recipe suggests thai basil)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 5 cups eggplant
• 2 chili peppers
• 3/4 cup water

1. Slice the eggplants into irregular shapes for easy turning in pan. Mince garlic and chili peppers. Pick the basil leaves from the stem and chop.
2. Heat a pan or wok over medium heat. Add oil, chili peppers, and garlic. Stir until garlic turns golden brown and add eggplant and stir. Add the water and cover the pan with lid. Keep lid on until eggplant is done, about 5-7 minutes. The eggplant turns from white to translucent when done. Almost all over water should be evaporated. If eggplant is not cooked, add a little bit more water and cover for 1-2 more minutes.
3. When eggplant is cooked, add fish sauce and sugar and stir. Add basil and quickly stir (do not allow basil to lose its color). Turn off heat.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5