There’s a reason for that: I love eggplant! I think it’s one of the most versatile vegetables around.
THE Spicy Eggplant & Tofu is one of my favorite dishes to get at any Chinese restaurant. I wanted to provide all you with an easy and delicious vegan eggplant tofu recipe that has as much flavor as a restaurant-made one! The tofu will need an overnight rest but combining it all together is fast and easy.
If you’ve been avoiding it because you’re afraid you won’t like it, I think it’s time you gave it a try. And this is the recipe you should try.
This home-cooked meal probably contains less fat and fewer calories than most carry-outs and preparing it takes no longer than a pick-up trip to a restaurant!
By the way, it looks like there are a lot of ingredients but most are just for the sauce/marinade so don’t be intimidated, it’s so worth it.
It’s so good that even eggplant haters like it.


Spicy Eggplant & Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 pound Asian Eggplant 3/4" x 2" slices
- 15 ounces Extra Firm Tofu drained and pressed
- 1 Red Pepper cut into chunks
- 1 White Onion cut into chunks
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger grated
- 2 Green Onions cut in 2" pieces
- 2 teaspoon Chili Paste
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes optional
- 2 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar/Mirin/Dry Sherry
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce tamari
- 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Vegan Oyster Sauce optional
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Broth chicken flavored
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Prepare rice according to package directions. In a medium bowl, prepare the marinade by mixing chili paste, red pepper flakes, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegan oyster sauce, broth, sugar, and white vinegar. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook tofu until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes per side. Press tofu with a large spatula to "dry fry" to remove the remaining liquid. Remove from skillet and add to the marinade. Let sit 20-30 min.
- Return skillet to medium-high heat (with additional oil if needed). Add eggplant and fry until browned approximately 4 minutes. Remove from skillet. Add onions and peppers, stirfry approximately 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and continue to saute for 1 minute. Return eggplant and push vegetables to sides of skillet.
- Pour marinade and tofu into the skillet, along with the green onions pushing tofu and onions to the sides of skillet with vegetables. Bring marinade to a boil. Combine cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into the skillet until thickened. Mix gently to coat with thickened sauce.
- Serve over rice.