Eggplant Stir-Fry (炒茄子)

After two days at the beach, I came home to lots of newly sprouting salad leaves as well as a bushy basil plant. Mom insisted that we prune it and cook it in a dish. So, here it is, in all it's glory, basil in the Eggplant Stir-fry. Oh, poor basil plant, you thought you had the chance to grow big and strong while we were gone...but, HA! WE'RE GONNA EAT YOU!

What you'll need:
1/2 cup of basil
2 chinese eggplants
soy-sauce (or soy-sauce substitute-- I use Bragg's)
vegetable oil
water

Steps:
1. Place eggplants on cutting board horizontally. Chop each into fours. Then, chop into rectangular slices.
2. Prepare the soy-sauce mixture in a small bowl: 2 tbsp soy-sauce + 3 tbsp water.
3. Heat pan on high. Pour a little bit of oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the eggplants. Stir well.
4. Add the soy-sauce mixture. Stir and cover the pan with a lid.
5. Add water if needed to avoid burning. Let it cook until all eggplants are evenly browned.
6. Add basil. Stir-fry for about 20-30 more seconds.
7. Turn heat off and serve with rice.

Happy eating!