Noodles with Eggplant and Peanuts Recipe

Ingredients :

1 medium Eggplant, cubed 1 teaspoon Salt 450 g Fresh Chinese wheat noodles 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine 1 tablespoon Cornstarch 1/4 cup Red wine vinegar 1/3 cup Water 1 tablespoon Minced fresh ginger root 1 tablespoon White sugar 2 tablespoons Vegetarian fish sauce 2 cups Onion, sliced 3 tablespoons Canola oil 4 cloves Garlic, minced 1 Red pepper, julienne 4 tablespoons Unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped 1 tablespoon Fresh mint, chopped

Method : Place the eggplant cubes into a colander. Add the salt and toss well. Let the eggplant drain for 15 minutes, then rinse with water. Let the eggplant drain again in the colander. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and boil them for about 5 minutes or until they are soft. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Let the noodles drain in a colander for at least 10 minutes. Combine the rice wine with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. Combine the r ed wine vinegar, water, ginger, sugar, imitation fish sauce and onions in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Using a non-stick skillet, heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the noodles, then place two or three plates on top of them so that more surface are will brown. Let the noodles sit over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. When the noodles have developed a golden brown curst on the underside, remove the plates and turn the noodles over with a spatula and cook them 5 minutes on the other side. Then take the pan off the heat. Add the peanuts to the eggplant mixture, and spoon it onto plates. Divide the noodles into 4 parts and place them atop the vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle with mint and serve.