Stir Fry Eggplant and Pork with Black Bean Garlic Sauce and a Side of Spicy Okra with Leeks

Tempting little adorable Thai eggplants and baby purple globe eggplants proved irresistible, as did the mounds of okra at the Linda Vista Farmers Market this week. Alas, no zucchini blossoms but Rodriguez Farms will bring some next week (I have dibs on the first dozen, so fugeddaboutit).
 

A stir fry was called for. I recalled a grilled pork and baby bok choy dish I have made in the past, one with a black bean garlic sauce marinade. The baby bok choy brushed with the marinade and thrown on the grill is to die for.
 

So, I threw together black bean garlic sauce, Tamari, Szechuan peppercorns, more garlic, ginger and other delights (below), reserved a bit of the marinade, gave the pork a beautiful bath in it and voila!

The side is simple: a Sriracha-based sauce that I use frequently, okra and sliced leeks. I cooked the side first, then wiped out the wok and did the pork dish.

 

Mangia!

 

Stir Fry Eggplant and Pork with Black Bean Garlic Sauce

 

Eggplant and Pork

1 lb. pork tenderloin

4 Thai eggplants

2 baby purple globe eggplants or Japanese eggplants

6 green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

 

Marinade

3 tbsp. black bean garlic sauce

2 tbsp. Tamari

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. Szechuan peppercorns

1 tbsp. each sesame oil

1” piece ginger minced

2 garlic cloves minced

 

Good sized handful of cilantro

 

Slice the pork into 2" long thin strips. Mix the marinade ingredients and reserve 1/4 cup. Toss with the pork and allow to marinate for about 30 minutes.

 

Slice the eggplants into 1/2" wide slices and cut the slices in half. Slice the green onions into 2" long pieces. Heat the work and add some peanut oil and a dash of sesame oil. Stir fry the garloc and green onion for a few seconds to soften and add the eggplant. Fry for a few minutes then add the pork. Continue stir frying until eggplants are softened but still have some bite to them and the pork is just cooked through. There is no need to cook today's pork to death. Just to medium leaves it juicy.

 

 

Spicy Okra with Leeks

1 lb. fresh okra

2 leeks

2 tbsp. Sriracha

2 tbsp. Tamari

1” piece ginger minced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp. each sesame oil and rice vinegar

 

  Slice the okra in half lengthwise. You can top and tail them if you like, but I don’t. Thoroughly clean the leeks (sandy little buggers!) and cut off root ends and dark green part. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise and slice them into 1/2” pieces.

Mix the other ingredients and toss the okra in it. Heat the wok and add some peanut oil and a dash of spicy sesame oil, if you have it. If you don’t, use regular sesame oil. Add the leeks and stir fry for a couple of minutes until starting to brown a little. Add the okra and continue stir frying until the okra is softened a bit but still has some bite.

Enjoy both dishes with some rice.