Chili Fish with Eggplant

Lately, I've been craving spicy food, especially spicy Asian food. It could be the discovery of a Sichuan restaurant less than 5 miles away from my home. All of the sudden, my Spicy Asian Tastebuds, which have laid dormant for a while, have been roused and become insatiable. Alas, neither my wallet nor my arteries can support a constant diet of restaurant food. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is a recipe I came up with on the fly when I was jonesing for a little spicy goodness. It's actually pretty darn healthy. And cheap. And not labor intensive. And quick. And delicious. In short, a winner.

The fillet of choice here is Basa or Swai. Never heard of it? Ya, I hadn't either until I started grocery shopping for myself. It's mostly imported Vietnam or Thailand and found in most Asian fish markets and even some American supermarkets. It's a member of the catfish family with a slightly firm texture and a mild flavor. It's consistently one of the cheapest fillets sold in fish markets, averaging $3-4 a pound. In fact, the cheapness of the fish ticked off American catfish farmers who successfully rallied to stop it from called "catfish" in America. I find this rather amusing because I have run into many people at the fish counter at Shoprite who, when they saw me buying 6 pounds of catfish nuggets, divulged that "I never buy catfish" " I always thought they were bottom feeders and dirty" etc. Maybe a little distance from the catfish name is actually a good thing for the Basa...and the Vietnamese. 

Sidenote: I'm sure by now, most of you have heard about the Omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fish and how they are good for you. But just in case you weren't convinced, here's a list, from University of Maryland Medical center, of all the ways omega-3 keep you kicking a little while longer. The most beneficial effect of Omega 3 is to protect against Heart Disease. But they have shown promise in High cholesterol, High blood pressure, Diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Osteoporosis, Depression, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Cognitive decline. Skin disorders. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Asthma, Macular Degeneration, Menstrual pain, Colon Cancer, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer. While some of these diseases have mixed results, for all of them, there has been at least one study that shows some improvement compared to placebo. Also, there are also some precautionary tales to taking fish oil supplements. Check out this site for more info! Omega-3s

But I digress. The reason I prefer Basa for this dish is that it stands up pretty well to stirring. I'm sure you can make this with other fish fillets but if they are too soft and flaky, they are totally going to fall apart. Also, the mild flavor is good because it absorbs more flavor from the veggies and sauce. The eggplant lends a little bit of creaminess to offset the heat from the chilli peppers.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Basa Fillet, cut in 2 inch blocks

1 chinese eggplant

2 long hot peppers

1 jalapeno pepper

1 bunch scallions

1 small bulb of garlic  ( I really like garlic, so this may be to much for some)

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste

1.5 tsbp lite soy sauce ( I like to use mushroom flavored )

Additional soy sauce to taste

1. Rinse the fish and pat down with paper towel to dry. Marinate the fish in the garlic-ginger paste and 1.5 tbsp soy sauce for 15 min. 

2. In the meantime, chop the vegetables up into strips 2 inch long strips. Make sure your eggplant pieces all have a bit of skin attached so that they don't melt as easily.  

You want the veggies to be the same size, so they cook evenly. Eggplant melt pretty easily, so I cut it a little bigger.

3. Heat a wok (or a thin bottomed pan) on med heat. Add the sesame oil. When warm, add in the marinated fish. Fry, without stirring too much, until fish is about halfway cooked on both sides, about 4-5 min. Increase to high heat. Add in the vegetables. Stir gently, taking care not to break the fish, to make sure the veggies get cooked evenly.

4. Fry for about 10-15 more minutes. Add more soy sauce if you think it needs more. When everything is cooked through, take off the heat and serve over hot rice. Enjoy!