Vietnamese Beef and Eggplant with Basil Sauce
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 small Asian eggplants, chopped
1 bunch xcallions, chopped
2 medium jalapenos, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
hot sauce, to taste
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. anise seed, ground
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup basil, chopped
rice or noodles, cooked
Instructions:
Saute the ground beef in a medium skillet over medium heat until brown,then drain off any excess grease and set aside.
In the same pan add the olive oil and saute the eggplant, scallions, jalapenos and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the reserved ground beef,hot sauce, broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, anise and cinnamon.
Let the ingredients simmer together for 30 minutes. Add the basil and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve thwe dish over jasmine rice or cellophane noodles.
Yields 4 servings.
Recipe adapted from “The Universal Kitchen” by Elisabeth Rozin.