Japanese Eggplant Aubergine With Tofu Food

JAPANESE EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) SAUTE

Steps:

• Combine Soy sauce, mirin, crushed garlic and ginger in a bowl.
• Slice your eggplant thinly and into small pieces.
• Toss eggplant in hot pan (I use a spray oil like Pam) with the sauce mixture.
• Sauté at a medium heat until very tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add a little water to keep the veg moist if necessary.
• Great as a side dish for fish or chicken.
• Add diced medium firm tofu or any other protein for a very simple, quick meal.

GRILLED JAPANESE EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a large shallow baking dish. Mix together the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the eggplant and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat grill. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper to taste and grill on each side for 3 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade. Serve topped with the toasted sesame seeds.

CRISPY SZECHUAN-STYLE EGGPLANT AND TOFU

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, combine 2/3 cup of the cornstarch, the salt and pepper. Toss the eggplant pieces in the cornstarch mixture to coat, shaking off the excess; set aside. Repeat the process with the tofu.
• Heat 1/2 inch of the peanut oil in a large, deep, straight-sided skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, cook the eggplant first, tossing gently until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and the tofu.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime juice and remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch.
• Carefully drain the oil from the skillet, and wipe out any residue using paper towels held with tongs. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add the ginger, about 1 teaspoon of the minced chiles (or to taste) and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until just fragrant, about 30 seconds; pour in the chicken stock mixture and bring it to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the cooked eggplant and tofu to the skillet and toss gently to combine. Stir in the sesame oil and remove from the heat. Serve immediately over rice and garnished with the remaining minced chiles if desired and chopped cilantro.

JAPANESE EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) WITH TOFU

Steps:

• In small saucepan over medium heat, bring sherry, dark sesame oil, garlic, ginger root, vinegar, and 1 TBS of the soy sauce to a low simmer.
• Thoroughly stir cornstarch into water until well blended and add to saucepan.
• Simmer sauce until thickened, then turn off heat, cover and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then add the light sesame oil (or vegetable oil) and heat the oil for a minute.
• Add the chopped onion to the skillet, and saute until tender but not golden.
• Add the diced tofu to the skillet and saute up to 10 minutes to remove excess moisture.
• Add the eggplant and sprinkle with remaining 1 TBS of soy sauce, and saute until tender but not mushy.
• Stir in sauce.
• Serve over brown rice.

TOFU WITH EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Place tofu cubes into a steamer and allow to steam for 20 to 30 minutes while chopping vegetables.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Transfer tofu to pan and sauté until brown on all sides, then remove from pan and set aside.
• In same pan, sauté onion for one minute. Add soy sauce and one tablespoon water if necessary. Add tomatoes, red peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, squash, scallions, and tomato paste and reduce heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Add tofu and continue cooking until tofu is heated through.
• Serve on platter, garnished with cilantro and rice or noodles. We recommend Forbidden rice, though not exactly traditional, for its exotic nutty flavor and psychedelic color that beautifully compliments the eggplant and peppers.

CHINESE EGGPLANTS (AUBERGINE) WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat saucepan on medium high. Add oil, hot but not smoky.
• Add minced ginger root, garlic, white part of green onion and salt and pepper. Cook to soften.
• Add fermented black beans, smash with spoon and mix into ginger, garlic, onion mixture.
• Add chopped onion, cook to soften 2 minutes.
• Add oyster sauce and rice vinegar, mix well.
• Add eggplants and mix well.
• Add red pepper flakes, if using.
• Cook until eggplants and onion are well done.
• Taste and add soy sauce, if needed.
• Garnish with green part of onions.
• Serve with sauce over white rice.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) -TOFU STIR FRY

Steps:

• Heat 1T oil in large frying pan over medium high heat.
• Cook tofu in oil for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping once, until golden and crisp. Remove tofu from pan.
• In heated pan with residual oil, saute eggplant cubes until fully cooked but not soggy. This may take 5-10 minutes depending on how large you cut the eggplant. Remove eggplant from pan.
• Meanwhile, prepare sauce. In a 1 or 2 cup measuring cup, stir together soy sauce, lime juce, sugar, flour, sesame oil. Add enough water to make about 2/3 cup liquid. May add more or less water if you like an especially thick or thin sauce.
• Add 1T of oil to the hot pan. Cook ginger in hot oil for about 1 minute, then add jalapeno, green onion, and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes more.
• Add cooked tofu and eggplant to pan with ginger mix. Cook and stir for about one more minute.
• Pour sauce mixture into pan, bring to boil and cook, stirring, until thickened. This will only take a minute or two.
• Add chopped cilantro to pan and stir to combine.
• Serve with plenty of hot cooked rice.

JAPANESE GLAZED EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Set aside.
• Wash your eggplants. Cut off the top and then cut in half length wise. If necessary, make the eggplant halves short enough to fit into a 12" skillet. Using a knife, make criss cross marks on the eggplant, making sure that the eggplant doesn't break apart. Leave skin on eggplants.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12" skillet.
• Heat oil over medium high heat. Lay 2 eggplant halves in pan, followed by 1/4 water. Cover and let cook for 7-10 minutes or until eggplant is lightly browned. Carefully remove eggplant halves from skillet; set aside.
• Repeat with 2 other eggplant halves and other tablespoons oil.
• Pour sauce mixture into skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
• Pour sauce over the criss-crossed side of eggplant. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) AND TOFU SATAY

Steps:

• curry paste:.
• grind all the ingredients together until you have a paste. Store in the refrigerator in a screw top jar for up to 2 weeks.
• skewers:.
• Mix 3 tbsp green curry paste together with 1 tbsp groundnut oil. Cut the tofu and eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes and thread onto 12 short wooden skewers. Lay flat on a plate and pour over the paste mixture to coat well, rubbing the eggplant and tofu all over. Leave for 30 minutes minimum (or overnight), covered in the fridge to marinade.
• Brush the vegetables with a the remaining oil and grill under a medium heat until golden.
• satay sauce:.
• Heat the oil in a small saucepan and fry the shallot, garlic, chillies and spices for about 5 minutes until tender.
• Mix the peanut butter with a little warm water to make a thinner paste and add to the pan, together with the coconut milk.
• Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sauce thickens. Season with lime juice and salt to taste. Divide between 4 small bowls.
• Serve the skewers on individual plates with a small bowl of satay sauce.
• Or you can simply buy the curry and the satay to cut time but check your ingredients some carry fish.

JAPANESE EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) TANAKA AND DASHI

Steps:

• HOW TO MAKE THE EGGPLANT: Wash eggplant, but do not peel.
• Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan.
• Add the cubes of eggplant and saute over high heat until lightly browned here and there.
• This should take about 2 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients.
• Stir well, cover pan and simmer over low heat until eggplant is tender and sauce is just a bit thicker.
• Serves 2.
• HOW TO MAKE THE DASHI: Bring the water to a fast rolling boil.
• Add kombu seaweed.
• Stir for 2 to 3 minutes to release its flavour.
• Then remove with a slotted spoon (leaving it in the soup would make it too strong).
• Bring the water back to a fast rolling boil and add the bonito shavings.
• Bring back to the boil, then quickly remove from the heat.
• Let the bonito shavings settle in the bottom of the pan---this usually takes 2 to 3 minutes.
• Strain; now the dashi, or broth, is ready to use.
• Yield: 6 cups.
• *InJapan it is used as much as we use salt, and it is a vegetable protein derivative.
• If you wish to use it, look for the Japanese type in Oriental shops.
• **Kombu:Kelp or dried seaweed tangle, which is one of two most basic and important ingredients for making soup stock (dashi).
• ***Shreddeddried bonito (a fish), the other essential for basic stock (dashi).
• Can be purchased in one piece, then grated, or already grated and packaged, which is much more convenient.
• DASHI: This soup stock is the base for almost all Japanese dishes, so it is important to learn how to make it.
• Chicken stock can replace dashi, but a certain flavour will be missing.
• Madame Benoit's World of Food.