Recipe: Thai-style stir-fried eggplant with honey and garlic

When Bill Jones first wanted to become a chef, his father talked him out of it so instead he pursued a career in geology, but didn't stop learning more about food.

"While I was a geologist, I was in Calgary, and I used to take literally 20 books week out of the library, cookbooks from all over the world, and read them, just like novels," Jonestold North by Northwest host Sheryl MacKay.

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"When you've read that many recipes you realize there's not that many recipes out there. They're all just different techniques, and a different part of the world will have influence from Italy or Spain, their cultures mixed in, so that's my approach to food now.

"I just take an ingredient and I look at the world. If I'm interested in Korea, I think, what would Korean do with that vegetable?"

After making the decision to become a chef, Jones went on to study in France.

He and his wife now garden year-round on Deerholme farm, which has a number of gardens dedicated to different fruits and vegetables.

Jones, who is acknowledged as a local expert on wild foods and foraging, has also written 12 cookbooks the latest of which is titled TheDeerholme Vegetable Cookbook.

Unlike his other recent cookbooks which focus on foraging, this book focuses on vegetables that can be grown in the garden.

"This one really acknowledges the huge trend in restaurants and chefs these days, which is to make vegetables more of the star of the meal."

He shared a recipe from hislatest cookbook with North by Northwest.

Thai-style stir-fried eggplant with honey and garlic

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) grapeseed oil
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) minced garlic
• 1 red chili, seeded and minced
• 4 Japanese eggplants, trimmed and sliced
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
• 1 cup (250 mL) Aromatic Vegetable Stockor water
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) shredded fresh Thai (or regular) basil
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) shredded mint leaves
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
• 1 cup (250 mL) Mung bean sprouts
• cup (65 mL) dry-roasted peanuts, for garnish
• Basil and mint sprigs, for garnish

Method:

2.Add the eggplant slices and quickly saut while stirring constantly. (Saut them in two batchesif you have a small saut pan.)

3. Add all the cooked eggplant to the pan and continue with therecipe as if you had cooked it all in one batch.

4. When the eggplant just begins to brown, add the honey and toss the pan to melt it.Immediately add the stock and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to a simmer, andadd the basil and mint.

6. When the sauce is thick, add the sprouts and toss to warm through.Immediately transfer the eggplant and sauce.