My eggplant came out mushy. Why?

For this recipe, I make sure to cook the eggplant alone in the pan first. Once it's tender, I take it off the heat and keep it on a plate for mixing back in as a last step. Eggplant is finicky. Cook it too long, it disintegrates. Too short and it's chewy and awful. So I prioritize the eggplant and cook it alone. The ideal texture is soft and supple, but still holding its shape.

Why do I have to turn the heat off before adding the sesame oil at the end?

Sesame oil has a low smoke point - and can turn very bitter if it burns. While I cook this stir fry on medium heat, it's generally a best practice to use sesame oil while the food is hot - but off the active heat source.

Is there a way to find okra that isn't so slimy inside?

I always try to find small, fresh okra pods at the grocery store. I've found that the larger pods - and pods with dark spots on them - tend to be higher on the slime factor. My husband hates this (I don't mind as much). But to make us both happy, I buy small, blemish free okra and this seems to do the trick most of the time. Not slime free, but minimal.

Eggplant and Okra Fish Stir Fry

Name: Eggplant and Okra Fish Stir Fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 6 ounces firm fish such as salmon, arctic char, or tuna, sliced into bite size pieces; 10 ounces Japanese or Chinese eggplant, sliced about 1-inch thick and 3 inches long, like small potato wedges; 2 tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil; 6 okra, stem removed, sliced in half; 1 teaspoons sake; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 2 tablespoons water; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; Ground black pepper, to taste; 1 teaspoon sake; 1 teaspoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch; ¼ teaspoon sesame oil

Description

Savory, sweet, and smoky Japanese style fish stir fry that’s ready in less than 25 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients

Scale

6 ounces firm fish such as salmon, arctic char, or tuna, sliced into bite size pieces
10 ounces Japanese or Chinese eggplant, sliced about 1-inch thick and 3 inches long, like small potato wedges
2 tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil
6 okra, stem removed, sliced in half
1 teaspoons sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Ground black pepper, to taste

Fish marinade:

1 teaspoon sake
1 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

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Instructions

Marinade the fish. Add all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the fish to the marinade and toss the pieces to coat them evenly. Leave for 15 minutes.
Salt and drain the eggplant. Place the eggplant in a bowl and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the pieces. Toss and leave for 15 minutes. Then gently squeeze the eggplant to get rid of excess water and pat each piece dry with a paper towel.
Mix the sauce. Meanwhile, mix the sake, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water in a bowl and set aside.
Stir Fry the eggplant. Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium heat and add the eggplant. Toss and cook the eggplant for 3-4 minutes, or until it’s cooked through and transfer to a plate. Set aside
Cook the fish and okra. In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and then add fish and okra to the wok and cook for 3 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Return the eggplant to the wok and add the sauce. Stir fry for 30 seconds and turn the heat off.
Season and serve. Stir in the sesame oil and season with ground black pepper. Serve.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 307
Sugar: 5.8g
Sodium: 825.1mg
Fat: 20.2g
Saturated Fat: 12.2g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.2g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 12.4g
Fiber: 5.1g
Protein: 21.6g
Cholesterol: 43.5mg