.: evil jungle prince :.

Yesterday the new camera arrived, so I wasn't in the mood to cook anything elaborate when I got home -- I just wanted to play with my camera. As a result, I prepared this simple dish with these beautiful Asian eggplants purchased from Aj Liquor & Oriental Mart, my best friends in the grocery world.

My apologies I didn't dress this dish up more visually -- a little coriander would have done wonders -- but I was so excited about using the new camera that my mind was elsewhere. This is an easy to prepare dish that I've made before. Done correctly, it is a real pleaser. The key ingredient here is Thai basil, which gives the dish that unique Thai herby pungency. If you don't have Thai basil on hand, don't bother -- the dish just wouldn't be the same.

1. Fry two cloves garlic and 2-3 chillies in oil.

2. Cut the eggplants into asymmetrical shapes. (Don't cut them with flat surfaces or they will stick to the pan.) Fry briefly in the aromatic oil and then add half a cup of water. Cover and allow to cook/steam for 5-7 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

3. Add 1 tsp sugar, 2-3 tsp fish sauce to the cooked eggplants. (Don't fuss with them too much as they are soft and will fall apart otherwise.) Add a bunch of Thai basil and then turn off heat. Serve.

Tip! If you live in an area nearly devoid of Asian ingredients like me, you may want to do what I do and freeze a bunch of Thai basil in a plastic bag the next time you find yourself in an Asian market. Thai basil is often times a key ingredient in dishes and without it some dishes would not be worth cooking. It's important to have on hand and frozen basil will work in a pinch if you do not have access to fresh Asian herbs. Visually it is an inferior option but the unique taste of Thai basil is retained even after freezing.