Spicy Eggplant with Minced Tofu is a quick dish to to include in your weekday meals. Spicy, saucy and umami.
Most Chinese dishes include some form of meat, primarily minced pork. It’s pretty hard to get vegan food at 大炒 restaurants (Chinese restaurants where you order dishes to eat with rice) because even the vegetable dishes may contain it.
Fortunately, tofu is here to save the day! Thawed firm tofu works beautifully in place of minced meat. It retains a chewy texture even after being crumbled up into pieces.
I always view my food as nutrients, so I love dishes that include both a vegetable and protein source. To maximise flavour, both the eggplant and tofu simmer in a thick, savoury sauce. This dish also gets a little more interesting with the kick of spiciness from red chili. Expect bursts of flavour with each spoonful!
The beauty of spicy eggplant with minced tofu is that you only need 1 pan and 30 minutes, max! It’s also incredibly forgiving, there’s no way you can mess up this recipe. Top it over a bed of freshly cooked rice and you’ve got yourself a satisfying meal.
Simple, but so so good.
If you liked this recipe, here are a few quick recipes I know you’ll love:
- Vegan Ayam Goreng Kunyit (Fried Turmeric Mushrooms)
- Fried Tofu w/ Sweet Chili Peanut Sauce
- Vegan Kung Pao Tofu
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Spicy Eggplant w/ Minced Tofu
Ingredients
- 200 g eggplant cut into batons
- 140 g firm tofu thawed, crumbled into pieces
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 1 red chili chopped
- white pepper to taste
To serve
- cilantro
- rice
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, cook the garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant. Add in the eggplant and crumbled tofu, sautéing until the tofu becomes dry, 5 min.
- Add sauces, water and cornstarch slurry. Stir to combine, then simmer on low heat with the lid on for 10-15 minutes until the eggplant is completely soft. Stir in the red chili halfway through.
- Serve over some freshly cooked rice with a sprinkle of cilantro leaves. Enjoy!
Made this for my family dinner and everyone loved it! Tweaked the recipe slightly by adding lots of chilli paste for the extra spicy umami flavour. Also, it’s so easy to make! 10/10 recommend.
thanks jazz! chili paste sounds like a super yummy addition, im glad your family loved it 🙂