Asian Eggplant Stir Fry

• 1 pound Japanese eggplant cut into 1/4" medallions
• 1 cup coarsely chopped green peppers
• 1 cup coarsely chopped white onion
• 1 chili pepper with 1/8" cut off of the bottom
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil, evenly divided
• 1 8 oz can drained chopped water chestnuts

1. An hour before starting to cook, drain your tofu and place it on a plate between two super absorbent paper towels, and then place a medium saucepan on top of it. Next, fill the saucepan with something heavy. This will press much of the moisture out of the tofu so that it browns well.
2. Cube the tofu into bite-sized pieces and prep your vegetables.
3. In a wok or a large pan, heat 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil over medium heat for two minutes, and then add the tofu to the pan. Cook until the underside is browned (about 3 minutes), and then flip and cook the opposite side until it is also browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil to the pan and heat. Next, add the eggplant, green peppers, white onions, and chili pepper to the pan. Saute until the eggplant begins to soften, but doesn't get mushy. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are sauteing prep your stir fry sauce by whisking together water, tamari, low-sodium soy sauce, garlic, ginger, light brown sugar, and cornstarch in a small mixing bowl. Make sure there are no cornstarch clumps, otherwise it won't thicken correctly.
6. Once the eggplant has finished cooking, add the water chestnuts and the simmer sauce to the pan. Cook until the water chestnuts are heated through and the sauce is simmering and thickened.
7. Serve immediately.

medallions, green peppers, white onion, chili pepper, water, tamari, soy sauce, garlic, fresh ginger, light brown sugar, cornstarch, peanut oil, water chestnuts

Taken from food52.com/recipes/37436-asian-eggplant-stir-fry (may not work)