Japanese-Style Mabo Eggplant with Tomato Recipe

With extra flavor from tangy tomatoes.

Cooking time

20min

Calories

250kcal

Sodium

800mg

Nutrition facts are for one serving.

Directions

Wrap the tofu in a paper towel and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes to remove excess moisture.
Roughly chop up the eggplants, slice the tomato into wedges.
Mix together (A).
Heat the vegetable oil in a fry pan over medium heat and saute the ginger, taking care not to scorch it.
Once fragrant also saute the ground meat while breaking it apart. When half of the meat is browned, add in the eggplants (2) and the red chili pepper and saute.
Once the meat is crumbly, quickly re-mix and then add in (3) and bring the mixture to a boil.
Tear up the tofu while adding in, also add in the tomato, give all ingredients a quick stir and then allow to simmer for a short time.
Drizzle in some sesame oil for aromatic effect, then turn off the heat. Sprinkle on Japanese pepper powder if desired.

Cooking Basics

Tofu - draining

Wrap tofu in paper towel and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. This method works best if the tofu is cut into the desired sized pieces beforehand to remove excess moisture.
Or wrap tofu in paper towel, place on a tray or other suitable surface and place a weight of 500~1000 g (17.7~35.3 oz.) on top and set aside for about appropriate minutes to release as much moisture as possible.

Eggplants - random cut

Cut off the stem, and rotate the eggplant as you cut up from one end.

Tomatoes - wedge cut

Cut the tomato in half lengthwise, then insert the knife in a v-shape on both sides to remove the stem. Insert the knife from the center of the cut surface and cut into equal-size wedges.