Spicy Vegan Braised Eggplant
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants evenly sliced
- 1 cup (80g) TVP or Veggie crumbles
- ½ cup yellow or white onions diced
- 1 tbsp garlic crushed & minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp fermented chili paste (such as gochujang or doubanjiang)
- ½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorn (ground) or substitute red chili flakes
- cooking oil
- sliced green onions for serving
- sesame seeds for garnish
FOR THE STIR FRY SAUCE
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or sub tamari for gluten free)
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp organic brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (mirin or dry sherry)
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce bowl and whisk. Set aside until ready to use.
- Prepare eggplant as instructed on the blog.
- Rehydrate or follow preparation instructions on the TVP or veggie crumbles. If you are using dehydrated veggie protein, be sure to strain out all the excess liquid before cooking.
- Preheat a sauté pan to medium high heat. Coat with a tablespoon of cooking oil. Once pan is fully heated, pan fry eggplant on each side until they are golden are slightly golden brown (or charred on each side) and a little tender. Temporarily remove from the pan and set aside.
- Using the same pan, sauté aromatics such as the onions, ginger, and garlic. Toss until fragrant and shimmery. Sprinkle the ground Sichuan peppercorn (or red pepper flakes) and mix until well combined. Add in the fermented chili paste and stir. If it is too thick to sauté with, dilute it with a tablespoon of veggie broth and stir.
- Toss in the TVP / ground crumbles and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the eggplants back in and gradually pour the sauce. You may or may not use all of it, so add little by little to adjust throughout the cooking process. Pour vegetable stock and stir. Cover with a lid to allow it to simmer for 5-7 minutes (or when liquids have reduced) and lower down the heat to medium low.
- Uncover the pan and add the rest of the sauce. Mix until well combined. Turn off heat. Add the green onions and sprinkle with a little bit of sesame seeds.
- Best served with a bed of rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Eggplant Selection - I used the vibrant purple Chinese / Japanese eggplant for this recipe as they have very little seedlings and are more neutral in flavor. You can pick whichever eggplants you prefer, however, I do not recommend an eggplant with many seedlings as it will be stronger in bitterness and retain so much water - which is not ideal for stir fry like this.
Sichuan Peppercorn - This is a numbing Chinese spicy peppercorn used in Szechuan cooking. I got these on Amazon a while back and have yet to scavenger hunt in Asian supermarkets (on Guam) to find these. It has a distinct sweetness and aroma, ideal for spicy Chinese dishes. If you cannot find this on island, red pepper flakes will do just fine - it just won't have the Szechuan spice. It will still be numbing in heat.
Don't want to use veggie crumbles or TVP? Use extra firm tofu. Pat dry and press the excess liquids before crumbling.