Eggplant & Basil Stir Fry

One of my favorite concoctions--I often throw this together to use up eggplant and basil when my garden (aka my farmer's market basket) overflows! This takes literally 15 minutes to throw together...cook the stir fry while your water comes to a boil & your noodles cook, then mix it all together and enjoy!

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  peanut oil
• 1⁄2 cup  thinly sliced  hot pepper (use sweet peppers if you prefer)
• 6  garlic cloves
• 1  lb  purple eggplant
• 1  cup basil leaves (1 good-sized bunch, either Thai basil or sweet will work)
• 2  cups bean sprouts, rinsed
• 2  tablespoons soy sauce (use low sodium if desired)
• 1  tablespoon mirin
• 2  tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
• 8  ounces  dried  rice vermicelli

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook rice noodles 2-4 minutes (or as directed on the package), till tender. Drain, reserving 1/4 Celsius cooking water.
2. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise, then quarter each piece lengthwise again. Slice horizontally into 1/2" planks (they'll be roughly 1/2" by 1" pieces). You may peel the eggplant first if you don't like the skin.
3. Remove stems and roughly chop basil leaves (so they're bite size--if they are all small, no need to chop).
4. In a large wok, heat oil til it smokes. Toss in garlic and peppers and stir fry till fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add eggplant, basil, & bean sprouts and stir fry till tender, about 3 minutes.
5. While eggplant cooks, whisk soy sauce, mirin, peanut butter, and reserved pasta water together into a thin sauce.
6. Once eggplant is tender, remove wok from flame, toss in noodles and sauce and stir briefly to coat. Serve.