Why, hello there November! How are you holding up? Has it been crazy, stressful, or heavy? If so, I understand, that is kind of the theme of 2020. A series of plot twists. I don’t know about you, but the first week of November had been quite draining and all I wanted to do was stuff my face in my favorite comfort food. Tell me I’m not the only one! Out of my comfort food cravings, I thought about takeout dishes that I used to order a lot on lazy evenings. Tofu & eggplant stir fry came into mind. And let me tell you, I rekindled that love.
Before going vegan (or vegetarian years ago), I used get myself tofu and eggplant stir fry at Panda Express; it, obviously, was not the best option to have but it (definitely) was an introduction for me to eat more plant-based food. I’ve tried recreating the dish a few times before publishing this recipe but I never seemed to have gotten it right. Now that I’m more familiar with how to, properly, prepare certain ingredients – I knew I had to try it again. And, what do we have here? It turned out to be one of the yummiest tofu dishes I’ve created.
CRISPY TOFU, TENDER EGGPLANT, AND A RICH SAVORY SAUCE TO FINISH.
PREPARING THE EGGPLANT
One of the ingredients I’ve had issues with was using eggplants. While they are super yummy (when cooked properly), you can easily mess it up. They can get soggy, watery, or bitter. And here’s a (not-so-secret), it is all in the prep work. Before cooking the eggplant straight into the pan, consider the following:
- Chop it into slices.
- Salt on each side and massage
- Cover with a damp towel and press
- Leave it covered until it releases the excess water for about 20 minutes
- Wipe out excess salt or rinse
- Pat dry and it is ready to cook
TAP HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO PROPERLY PREPARE EGGPLANT
CRISPY TOFU
I tend to get a lot of questions on how to prepare crispy tofu. The truth is, there’s really no right answer to it. But based on many experiences, the best way to achieve crisp tofu is to press out the excess liquids beforehand. You can simply do this by placing your tofu on a flat surface (or tray) and placing an added weight on top; which can be in the form a heavy plate, trays, a flat surface of a pan, or a tofu press. Pressing your tofu will give better firmness in texture and, also, meaty.
Second, most frequent question I get about tofu: why does it stick to the pan? Coming from someone who does not really use non-stick pans (me), I’ve never really had an issue with tofu sticking to the pan unless I rush it. It sticks for (3) reasons. 1.) Your pan / oil is not hot enough – if it is not hot enough, it will sit onto the surface longer causing it to stick. 2.) You have excess water or liquid on the tofu. Always pat it dry before frying. 3.) You are flipping it too early; patience, grasshopper. Allow the tofu to cook on each side for at least 3-5 minutes on a fully heated pan / oil. You will know each side is done when the edges are starting to crisp on the bottom and it will be easier to remove / flip.
With that being said, hope that helps you achieve the perfect crispy tofu for stir fry!
STIR-FRY SAUCE
One thing to note, it’s all in the stir fry sauce. If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you are probably already familiar with what makes a great Asian sauce – it’s mega savory but with hits of spicy, sweet, and slightly tangy. Here are the key ingredients:
- Low sodium tamari
- Vegetarian stir fry sauce (see recipe for details)
- Mirin (or any cooking rice wine)
- Corn starch
And that is it, my friend! I am not kidding, this is the easiest sauce you will ever have to make. And the best part is, you can use the sauce on noodles and other dishes you wish for lazy recipes.
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LIKE THIS EASY RECIPE?
You might also enjoy the following:
Easy Vegan Tofu & Eggplant Stir Fry
Equipment
- sauté pan or wok
- Mixing bowl
- tofu press (or any weighted flat surface)
- baking tray / large plate
- clean kitchen dish or paper towel
Ingredients
- 1 block (14oz) extra firm tofu pressed & diced into cubes
- 3 medium (1½ cups) eggplants sliced
- ½ tbsp sea salt
- 1 medium (½ cup) red / green bell peppers roughly chopped
- 3 cloves (1 tbsp) garlic minced
- ¼ medium (¼ cup) onions diced
- 1-3 pieces dried chili peppers (or any hot pepper of choice / red chili flakes)
- 3-4 tbsp oil for frying
- sesame seeds for garnish
FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 tbsp vegetarian stir fry sauce (I use the Lee Kum Kee brand)
- 2 tbsp low sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp mirin or any rice cooking wine
- 1 tbsp sugar (or sweetener)
- 1 tsp corn starch
Instructions
FOR THE SAUCE
- In a small sauce bowl, whisk all ingredients together and set aside until ready for use.
FOR THE STIR-FRY
- Prep the eggplant slices. Salt an even layer of sea salt on each side of the eggplant slices. Massage thoroughly and cover with a clean kitchen/paper towel. Allow the liquids to absorb for 20 minutes. Excess water will release from the eggplant once it is salted. Wipe down each eggplant to remove excess salt OR rinse off with cool water. Pat dry before cooking.You can find a detailed instruction on how to prep your eggplants before cooking here.
- Remove excess liquids and press tofu. Pat dry. Dice into bite sized pieces.
- Preheat sauté pan (or wok) to medium high heat. Coat with oil.
- Fry tofu on each side until it is golden brown and crispy. Then, remove from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, fry eggplant slices until they are tender and slightly caramelized on the center. Remove from pan and set aside. Do NOT fry tofu and eggplant at the same time. It will end up as a soggy, oily mess.
- Re-coat a little splash of oil on the pan (optional or if tofu and eggplants have absorbed all the initially). Toss in the aromatics such as the garlic and onions. Sauté until fragrant. Add the dried chili peppers or red chili flakes. Season with a sprinkle of salt & pepper.
- Add the tofu back into the pan and mix with the aromatics. Toss the bellpeppers into the pan and stir. Lower down the heat to medium low. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes for the temperature to go down. Then, add the bellpeppers. Mix until well combined.
- Gradually pour the sauce. Do not add all at once as it may dry up real quick. Stir with the ingredients until it is evenly coated. Toss the eggplants back into the pan and stir gently. Add the rest of the sauce and let it simmer for 4-7 minutes in low heat or until sauce has thickened.
- Turn off heat and garnish with sesame seeds. Best served fresh with a bed of rice.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Stir Fry Sauce – Any stir fry sauce would work. For this recipe, I used the Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce. If you live on Guam, you can find this in most Asian supermarkets. I got mine at American Grocery and I found some at Hafa Adai Supermarket.
- For proper tips on how to prepare eggplant – you can find my braised eggplant recipe and instructions here.
- Not a fan of frying? While texture may not be the same, you can bake or air fry tofu and eggplant. Coat tofu and eggplant with a small splash of oil and season with a little salt & pepper. Lay it on a baking tray and line with a parchment paper. Bake it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-40 minutes (depending on your oven) flipping it halfway through. Please note: monitor the eggplants – if the slices are tender, remove it before it burns or becomes too mushy.
