Whenever we're invited to a party, people usually ask us to bring this. The first time we served it, even die-hard eggplant haters loved it!

From "The China Moon Cookbook" by Barbara Tropp

Ingredients:
About 3 lbs large Western eggplants ( 2 large)

Aromatics:
3 Tbs minced garlic
3 Tbs minced gingerroot
3/4 cup sliced scallions
4 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp dried red chili flakes
2 tsp sesame oil

Sauce:
1 Tbs rice vinegar
2 Tbs hot water
6 Tbs soy sauce
6 Tbs brown sugar
green & white scalliion rings

Garlic croutons
2 small baguettes, sliced about 1/4" thick
1/4 cup garlic-flavored olive oil

Garnish
More scallion rings and chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 475 F. Prick the eggplant well in several places and bake until fork tender (about 1 hr) turning once. Remove from oven, slice lengthwise and let cool. Then puree in a food processor.

2. Combine aromatics in a small dish. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl stirring to dissolve.

3. Heat a wok over high heat until a bead of water evaporates on contact. Add oil and swirl. Add aromatics and stirfry about 1 minute. Add sauce ingredients and stir until simmering. Add eggplant pulp, stir well and heat through. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings if needed to achieve a zesty flavor. Stir in the sesame oil.

4. Allow to cool to room temperature. Garnish with scallion rings and chopped cilantro. Serve with garlic croutons.

5. To make the garlic croutons, brush both sides of the baguette slices lightly with the garlic-flavored olive oil. Bake in a 325 F oven for about 10 minutes then turn over and bake for another 10 minutes. They should be just lightly golden.