Everything in the Veggie Drawer Stir Fry

There is a new vendor at the farmers market who is selling bamboo shoots. I, of course, could not walk by without buying some despite the fact that I wasn't really sure what to do with them. During the week, I did some research and decided that a stir fry was going to be the best way to prepare them. I had tried them boiled at the market, but it was just "eh."

Bamboo shoots have an outer skin like an onion. Peel that off and then cut off the tough ends - I cut at least an inch off the pointy end and then sliced off the tough outer layer. You'll know if you haven't trimmed it enough because you'll be trying to slice tough shoot.

On Wednesday, I realized I needed to cook my shoots and that I had gone a little crazy at the market and had a ton of vegetables to cook. And thus the "everything in the veggie drawer stir fry" was born. You can substitue any vegetables you want, but I chose eggplant, zucchini, onion, green beans and bamboo shoots. I also added some chicken for protein.

To those of you who wish I would measure my ingredients, I apologize. I added spice to taste and didn't measure, but it is really hard to mess this dish up.

Also, I was out of rice, the traditional side for a stir fry, so I used quinoa and it was delicious.

Everything in the Veggie Drawer Stir Fry
About 4 servings

1 medium eggplant, cubed
1 large zucchini, sliced
1/2 a yellow onion, sliced
about a pound of green beans, trimmed and cleaned
3-4 bamboo shoots, peeled and sliced
1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
soy sauce
hoisin sauce
red chili paste

Cube the eggplant, place it in a colander and sprinkle it with salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes. This helps make the eggplant tender so you don't have "chewy" eggplant.

Heat oil (not olive - canola or other vegetable oil with a high "smoke point) in a wok until it is very hot. Add the chicken and cook until done on all sides.

Add the green beans and onions and cook for until the green beans start to become tender.

Add the eggplant, zucchini, and bamboo shoots. Cook until tender. Add soy sauce, a tablespoon or so of hoisin sauce and red chili paste to taste. Combine the spices well and adjust seasoning to taste. Cook for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.

Serve with your choice of starch - rice or quinoa or...