Our favorite spicy pasta

We asians love our food spicy! For me, the spicier the better (which I will be paying for dearly later on in the evening). For this particular spaghetti dish, I use thai chili peppers to give it that extra "oompf" and let me tell you...these tiny little things sure pack a major punch. One time, I was slicing these thai chili peppers into slivers and my fingertips were on fire for days. Anyway, back to this pasta. It's our absolute favorite chunky and wholesome spaghetti ever and we can't seem to go back to regular ol' pasta after this.

Spicy Eggplant and Sausage Spaghetti

Ingredients:
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 1 jar of marinara or plain pasta sauce
- 1 pound of seasoned ground pork or 4 pork seasoned sausages (casing removed)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 eggplant, chopped into cubes
- 1 box of thin spaghetti (I prefer the whole wheat kind).
- 3 to 5 thai chili peppers, chopped (you can get these at any large produce store or asian grocery store). Use 3 if you want mild. I like to use 5 for a good kick.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Bring pot of water to boil for pasta. Once it boils, add pasta and sprinkle salt. Cook until al dente.
2. Add olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and thai chili pepper to oil and cook until slightly browned (1 minute). Make sure the garlic does NOT burn. Add sausage (out of casing) or ground seasoned pork to the skillet and cook until browned (8 to 10 minutes)
3. Add eggplant and cook until they look browned and wilted (3 to 5 minutes).
4. Add 1 large can of diced tomato and jar of marinara to the skillet. Put lid over skillet and cook for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
5. While sauce is cooking, drain the pasta, make sure pasta is not overcooked.
6. Heap a generous amount of chunky sauce over the spaghetti and enjoy!

tip: I also like to add an extra dash of dried oregano to the sauce while it's cooking.