Bò xào cà tím is an easy home stir-fry of beef and eggplant. The beef is marinated in soy sauce, garlic, ginger and sesame oil, the eggplant is fried separately with spring onion and chilli, and the two go back into the pan together for a minute or two. Roasted sesame and shredded shiso leaves finish it. Once the beef has marinated, the cooking itself takes very little time. Plan ahead: the beef marinates for 30–60 minutes. Prepare the eggplant and herbs while it sits. Ingredients For the beef 300 g beef 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 branch of ginger, minced 1 tablespoon soy sauce ½ teaspoon pepper 1 and a half teaspoons sesame oil For the stir-fry 300 g eggplant Spring onion Chilli Shiso leaves (purple herb leaves, also called beefsteak leaves) Roasted sesame Salt (½ teaspoon for the eggplant, plus a little for soaking) Cooking oil How to make bò xào cà tím 1. Slice and marinate the beef Wash the beef and let it drain, then slice it into thin strips about 0.6 cm thick. Mix the beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the minced garlic and ginger, ½ teaspoon pepper and 1 and a half teaspoons sesame oil. Leave it to marinate for 30–60 minutes. 2. Prepare the eggplant and herbs Wash the eggplant and cut it into 4 equal parts, then cut each part into 5 long equal pieces. Soak the pieces for 10 minutes in water with a little salt so they don’t turn black. Wash the spring onion and cut it into long pieces. Wash the chilli, remove the seeds and slice it small. 3. Fry the eggplant Heat some oil, add the eggplant with ½ teaspoon salt and fry for 3–5 minutes. When the eggplant is soft, add the spring onion and chilli and stir-fry quickly for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and tip everything into a clean bowl. 4. Fry the beef and combine Use the same pan. Heat the oil and stir-fry the beef over high heat for 2–3 minutes. Return the eggplant mixture to the pan and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes. Taste and season again if it needs it. Turn it out into a clean bowl and mix in the roasted sesame. 5. Finish with shiso Wash the shiso leaves and slice them into thin shreds. Scatter them over the top before serving. Share:
