Sunday, August 4, 2013

Pud Makua Yow! (aka Thai Basil Eggplant)



Here's another super easy dish from the Cooking with Trader Joe's Skinny Dish cookbook. Pow Makua Yow - also known as - Thai Basil Eggplant was the perfect dinner to make the first night that I am house sitting for a co-worker. One thing is for sure, I'm going to relish in this huge kitchen! I love the range, the countertops, the stainless steel pans. It's going to be a fun two weeks.

Again - another eight ingredient dish

Ingredients
  • 1-2 medium eggplants
  • 1-2 t crushed red pepper flakes (or 2-3 red chili peppers, finely chopped)
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 cup water (I ended up using only 1 eggplant, if using 2, double the water)
  • 1 T sugar
  • 3 T soy sauce
  • 1 bunch of fresh basil
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 cup uncooked couscous



1. Chop the eggplant into large chunks.


2. Over medium-high heat, add olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and the chopped cloves of garlic until the garlic is golden brown. About 2 minutes.


3. Add the chopped eggplant to the pan. Pour the water over the top. Give the eggplant a quick stir before placing the lid on top for 7-10 minutes. Make sure the eggplant is completely cooked. 


4. While the eggplant is cooking, roughly chop the fresh basil.


5. Once the eggplant is fully cooked. Add the sugar and soy sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. Then remove from the heat and spoon over your cooked couscous.


To cook the couscous - follow the instructions on the back. My couscous involves boiling 1 1/2 cup of water, adding in the dry couscous and fluffing for 10 minutes in a pan. I add a tough of olive oil to keep it nice and moist. 


This dish only takes 20 minutes to cook from start to finish and is perfect for those slightly chilly summer nights. The eggplant is hot and tangy, the basil is fresh and automatic, the couscous is buttery and soaks up all the additional sauce from the eggplant. 

Also - I recommend eating this in the comfort of your own home because you will want to pick up your bowl and lick it clean (pro-tip: it's awesome!!)

Cheers,

Kate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...