Japanese Mabo Tofu With Eggplant
By: Nika Phelps
Published: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 4:24pm

Ingredients




Japanese rice
1 Chinese eggplant (smaller than regular eggplant)
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 pound ground beef (or pork)
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon to-ban-jan (Korean red chili paste)
2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola, grapeseed)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cooking sake
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Preparation

1 Cook rice according to directions on package (I like to use Nishiki rice). 2 Slice eggplant lengthwise into 4 strips. Slice horizontally into quarters. Set aside. 3 In a pan over medium/high heat, add 2 tbsp oil, garlic, ginger, onions and half of the spring onions. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until onions are translucent. 4 Add ground beef and season with a bit of salt & pepper. When the meat is cooked, add to-ban-jan and stir. 5 Add sesame oil and eggplant and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the strips are soft and cooked through. Add tofu and delicately break it up while mixing it in. 6 Add sake, sugar, water, 4 tbsp soy sauce, stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce and spring onions, stir and turn the heat off. Serve over rice.