Chinese Eggplant with Tofu and Mince
Taste the tradition of Chinese cuisine with eggplant, pan-fried tofu, and mince. A savory dish that's healthy and addictively delicious!
Ingredients
- 2-3 Chinese eggplants cut into 3-inch baton, 1-inch thickness
- 1 block firm tofu cut into 1" cubes
- 1 package Impossible mince or any of your favorite plant-based mince
- 5 tablespoons cooking oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon spicy doubanjiang
- 1 tablespoon rice wine (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)
- 1 -2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 green onions (optional) thinly sliced for garnish
Cornstarch Mixture for Thickening
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoon room temp water (optional)
Instructions
Preparing Eggplants:
- Just before cooking eggplant, cut the eggplants into batons, around 3-inch in length and 1-inch thick.
Cooking Instructions:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes in a single layer and pan-fry for about 4-6 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the freshly cut eggplant pieces and stir-fry for about 6 minutes until they start to soften. Remove the eggplant from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add more oil if needed. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 1-2 minute until fragrant. Then add the entire package of Impossible mince to the skillet. Stir well to combine with the garlic and ginger mixture.
- Add the cooked tofu cubes and eggplant to the skillet with the Impossible mince. Stir gently to combine all the ingredients evenly.
- Add oyster sauce, spicy doubanjiang, rice wine and chili flakes if using, and 1/4 cup of water. Stir well to coat all the ingredients with the sauces.
- Cover the skillet and let the mixture cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender and the flavors have melded together
- In the last 2 minutes of cooking, drizzle sesame oil over the mixture and stir to incorporate.
- Optional: If the sauce is too thin, dissolve the cornstarch in water, pour in and stir and cook for another minute until the sauce thickens.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Optional: Garnish with sliced green onions.
- Serve hot over cooked rice or noodle and enjoy your delicious Chinese Eggplant with Tofu and Impossible Mince!
Notes
- I serve it with turmeric rice or rice noodles. Both go great with the dish, it just depends on what you prefer.
- The optional items are rice wine, sesame oil, chili flakes, cornstarch mixture and green onion. I prefer making everything easy and more flexible. If you have these ingredients on hand, use them. But if you don't, your dish will still be super enjoyable. Don't let these stop you from making this nutritious and delicious Chinese dish.
- There are different ways to prepare eggplant to keep the color bright. I don't mind darker color eggplants and rather save steps to make cooking easier. If keeping the color of the eggplant skin interests you, you can soak the cut eggplant in a mixture of 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoon of vinegar for 10-15 minutes. Make sure to pat eggplant dry after draining before cooking to prevent
- You can use chopped mushrooms in place of Impossible mince. The flavor will not be the same, but it will be very enjoyable and even healthier
- Depending on the skillet you are using, pan frying tofu can be difficult. Tofu tend to stick to pans and break apart when you stir or flip them. No worries, they are just as good broken in pieces. Yes, no matter what shape or what size they end up in. They tend to attach to more of the flavors when they are smaller in size.