simple + yummy + easy
Read “Carbon-Conscious Cooking” for free here.
I love cooking eggplants, because you can leave them on the heat forever and still not mess up, or at least I haven’t burnt them yet. This is a Chinese-inspired dish that is super easy and quick to make. The eggplants and leeks are fresh, and contrast with the umami tofu nuggets nicely. I got my five spice tofu from Whole Foods, by the brand Hodo. I’ve tried their curry tofu nuggets too, but prefer the five spice ones. My next cooking challenge will be to make my own tofu with that wrinkly, almost dehydrated texture.
Don’t slice your eggplant into disks, instead chop off odd shapes by first cutting a diagonal, then rotating, and cutting another diagonal. It’s hard to explain, and even harder to see in the picture, but trust me and have fun with it. You can’t go wrong.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 eggplants, chopped
- soy sauce
- Shaoxing cooking wine
- chili oil
- black pepper
- 1 leek, chopped into 3 inch sections
- 1 package Five spice Hodo tofu nuggets (or regular tofu, cubed)
- sesame seeds
- sesame oil
Directions
- Heat your pan, add the oil, and add the garlic until just golden.
- Add the eggplants, along with soy sauce, cooking wine, chili oil, black pepper, and water. Simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes, or until eggplant is almost done.
- Add in the leek and tofu, then cover and continue simmering for 5 minutes, until leek is bright green.
- Stir in sesame seeds and sesame oil.
- Serve over rice with additional chili oil, enjoy!
Read “Carbon-Conscious Cooking” for free here.
