Chilli + soy eggplant with tofu (vegan + gluten-free)

While working on this recipe for my regular column in Nourish Magazine, I was stopped in the supermarket by a lovely lady when she saw me reaching for the eggplants, saying she’d never cooked them before and did I have any tips for her? Firstly I said ‘you’ve asked the right lady!’ before proceeding to tell her all the ways I like to cook them and that the single most important thing to remember is to cook them until tender right through. There’s really nothing worse than rubbery un-cooked eggplant.

While other countries and cultures have long known how to handle eggplants (often called aubergine elsewhere in the world) it seems many here in NZ are still about unsure about them. Most eggplant varieties you’ll find in the shops don’t require salting to remove bitterness found in some older varieties, however if you slice into one and find large dark seeds in the middle (as opposed to light almost indistinguishable seeds than blend into the flesh) you can sprinkle the slices with salt, set aside 20-30 minutes then rinse and pat dry with a clean tea towel before cooking, just to be sure.

PS I’ve picked up a new hobby over the last 6 months… pottery! It’s something I’ve dabbled with in a very small way since my early twenties when Si and I did a night class in the city, but this is the first time I’ve really made time to explore this creative and meditative medium. I can’t tell you how cool it is to use my own creations in my styling (I made all these bowls in these images) and I’d say you can expect to see many more of my pieces showing up in future recipes 🙂

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Chilli + soy eggplant with tofu

This is one of those easy chop and roast dinners that’s basically ready in the time it takes to cook some rice (aka my kinda meal!). Once roasted the eggplant and tofu gets a quick toss in a pan with the sauce to coat. So simple, so packed with flavour and a really lovely budget-friendly mid-week meal.

Servings 2 large meals or 4 smaller ones

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggpants
• 300 gram packet firm tofu
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 spring onions (scallion/green onion) thinly sliced
• lightly toasted sesame seeds to serve
• cooked jasmine rice to servev

chilli soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon cornflour (starch) gluten-free if needed
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari gluten-free if needed
• 1 tablespoon black vinegar use rice or balsamic for gluten-free
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or golden caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Line two oven trays with baking paper or grease well with olive oil. Cut eggplant and tofu into large bite-sized chunks, transfer to oven trays, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix well to evenly coat eggplant and tofu in oil. Spread slices out in a single layer and roast 15-20 minutes or until golden underneath, swapping trays around after 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Flip each piece of eggplant and tofu over and cook for a further 10 minutes or until golden on both sides and eggplant is tender right through.
• Meanwhile, combine cornflour (starch) with ½ teaspoon water in a small bowl, before adding remaining sauce ingredients and stirring well. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add a touch of oil and cook the white parts of the spring onions for30 seconds, whilst stirring. Add roasted eggplant and tofu to the pan. Give the sauce a good stir, then add to the pan. Cook, whilst stirring for 20-30 seconds of until the sauce thickens slightly, and the eggplant and tofu is warmed through. Serve on rice topped with the sliced green ends of spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

This recipe was first created for and featured in Nourish Magazine NZ.