Tofu and Eggplant Stir-Fry Recipe

Tofu and Eggplant Stir-Fry

from Love Your Leftovers: Through Savvy Meal Planning Turn Classic
Main Dishes into More than 100 Delicious Recipes by Nick Evans

Ingredients:

1 pound small eggplants
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided
1 red pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
10-14 ounces (2-2/2 cups) cooked tofu, cubed

Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 lime, juice only
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, garnish
4 scallions, chopped, garnish
Cooked rice for serving

Makes 6 Servings

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in Nick Evans'
Love Your Leftovers: Through Savvy Meal Planning Turn Classic Main Dishes into More than 100 Delicious Recipes

Eggplant isn't a hugely popular stir-fry ingredient, but I think it gives some great texture to this dish. If you aren't familiar with cooking eggplant, the larger ones can be kind of bitter, so I recommend using smaller ones for this dish. By smaller, I mean that two to three eggplants should equal a pound by weight. If you can only find the big guys, no big deal, just follow the directions below and lightly salt the eggplant. Salting it will press out some of the bitterness. It will add about half an hour onto your prep time though.

1. If you can find smaller eggplants (two to three per pound), chop them into 1-inch cubes. (If you can find only large eggplants, slice the eggplant into 1-inch slices and line the inside of a colander with the slices. Sprinkle slices with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Continue to layer eggplant and salt, then top the eggplant with a bowl that fits inside the colander. Fill the bowl partially with water. Let eggplant press for 30 minutes, then rinse with cold water and dry. Cut the slices into 1-inch pieces.)

2. Once your eggplant is ready, add 2 tablespoons oil to a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add eggplant and cook until browned, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pan is very dry at any point, add more oil.

3. Remove eggplant and add red pepper, garlic, and ginger to the pan. If pan is very dry, add another tablespoon oil. Cook for a minute until veggies soften.

4. Add eggplant back to pan along with cubed tofu.

5. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for sauce, then pour sauce into pan and stir everything together. Cook until sauce thickens, another minute or two.

6. Garnish stir-fry with fresh basil and scallions. Serve over rice.