Braised Tofu and Eggplant

As I've shared before, my kitchen in Korea is limited. While thinking of what to make for dinner the other night, I was reminded of a time a couple years ago when I helped one of my Hawaiian friends with a film shoot. To thank me and the rest of her cast, she had us over for dinner. That night, I was introduced to sesame seed oil and how wonderful it was on eggplant and rice.

So, I decided to try and find a recipe for the eggplant dish she made. I found this one, "Sunday Supper: Braised Tofu with Eggplant and Shitakes." 

The first time I ever tried tofu, I was in Kindergarten, living in California. At a cookout at my vegetarian, model best-friend's house, I was prompted to try some sort of tofu faux-meat that didn't sit well with my stomach. I never really tried tofu again until college, where I learned that it wasn't an invented meat replacement for people who wanted to stay in shape, but rather had been a staple in Asian diets for centuries.

Anyway, this recipe was really easy to make and legitimately tasty -- as in I'd make it even at home where I have more than two-burners to cook with, so I wanted to share it:



Braised Eggplant with Tofu:

You'll need:
- 4 teaspoons oil (I used soybean.)
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (I used the button kind.)
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 3 long, purple eggplants
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (The recipe's gluten-free if you use gluten-free soy sauce.)
- 1/2 pound tofu, blotted dry
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame seed oil for garnish


* If you want to serve this on rice, go ahead and get that cooking so it'll be done by the time you're finished with the eggplant.

1. Cook mushrooms 5-10 minutes in 1 teaspoon of oil. Once browned, set aside.

2. Cook garlic in 1 teaspoon of oil until golden.

fun fact: garlic is so popular here, you can buy it in convenience stores near the fruit

3. Dice the eggplant. Cook in 2 teaspoons of oil for 5-10 minutes.

all this was only like $0.40!

4. Add chili paste and water to pan. Stir and cook 10-15 minutes until eggplant is tender.

5. Add soy sauce, diced tofu, sesame seed oil, and mushrooms. Stir and  enjoy!

Some of you may be thinking, "It looks like dog food,"
even though I tried to compose the shot in the most flattering light.
But believe me, it tastes like fluffy clouds of wonder.

Recipe from: http://markbittman.com/sunday-supper-braised-tofu-with-eggplant-and/