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Misoyaki Eggplant and Tofu

May 11, 2021 By Lisa Kitahara 40 Comments

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This Misoyaki Eggplant & Tofu recipe is easy and perfect for a delicious weeknight meal!

After sharing my unagi eggplant recipe, I've gotten several requests for more eggplant recipes so today I'm going to share with you another one of my favourite ways to cook up eggplant. Say hello to Misoyaki Eggplant and Tofu! This quick and easy miso eggplant tofu stir fry is full of sweet and salty flavour and with the addition of the tofu, makes it satisfying enough a complete meal!

Ingredients

  • Eggplant: I love Japanese eggplant for it's mild sweetness and because it tends to not have as many seeds. However, it's quite difficult to find it North America so I like to use Chinese eggplants instead. Of course, you can use your favourite variety of eggplant.
  • Medium firm tofu: You'll find most recipes recommending to use firm or extra firm tofu, however I like to use traditional/medium firm tofu because the inside stays moist, soft and almost fluffy! Feel free to use firm or extra firm tofu, though.
  • Potato starch: dusting the tofu with potato starch helps achieve that beautiful golden crispy exterior.
  • Sake: Can be omitted if you can not consume alcohol, however please note that the flavour will change slightly.
  • Sugar
  • Vegan Kombu Mentsuyu: Can be substituted with soy sauce.
  • Aji-mirin: Again, can be omitted with you can not consume alcohol. Replace with water and a touch more sugar.
  • Miso paste: I like to use yellow or red miso for this recipe because of its stronger flavour compared to white miso.

How to Make Misoyaki Eggplant & Tofu

  1. Rinse and cut off the top of the eggplant. Then chop the eggplant rangiri-style by rotating the eggplant (see vide) into equal size pieces. Transfer to a bowl of cold salted water and let it rest for 5 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, slice the tofu into bite sized squares. Pat it dry and then coat all sides with potato starch. Over medium high heat, add some oil and cook the tofu on each side until golden brown (about 45-60 seconds per side). Remove from pan.
  3. Drain the eggplant well. Over medium to medium high heat add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan and then add the eggplant. Let eggplant soak up the oil (the eggplant will soak it up relatively quickly). Key point: As soon as the oil is absorbed by the eggplant, flip the them so that the skin side is facing down. This will help maintain the purple colour while still achieving some nice charring. Once the skin side is nice and brown, flip onto the other side and fry until light golden brown. In the meantime, dissolve the miso paste with the mirin. 
  4. Then add the sake, sugar and kombu mentsuyu and swirl the pan around 1-2 times. Add the tofu and let it cook until most of sauce is absorbed by the eggplant and tofu. Turn heat down to medium low and then add in the miso and chili bean paste. Key point: adding miso toward the end will ensure it doesn't burn and retains its flavour. Swirl the pan and then let it cook for 30-45 seconds to allow the eggplant and tofu to absorb the remaining sauce. Flip the tofu as needed to ensure the sauce coats everything. 
  5. Turn off the heat, transfer to a plate and then garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with rice or grain of choice and enjoy!

Serving suggestions

This eggplant and tofu dish is delicious served with rice or any grain of choice! Pair with vegan miso soup and another vegetable side dish such as sesame spinach salad or braised lotus root for a complete meal.

How to store

While best served fresh, this dish can be prepped ahead of time for an easy meal prep too. Once cooled, place in a air tight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Re-heat in the microwave for 1 minute or until warmed through.

More delicious eggplant recipes to love:

  • Vegan Eggplant Unagi Don
  • Spicy Eggplant & Tomato Dip
  • Eggplant Chocolate Cake
  • Triple Chocolate Eggplant Muffins

If you recreate this Misoyaki Eggplant and Tofu recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!

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Misoyaki Eggplant and Tofu


★★★★★

5 from 36 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Kitahara
Print Recipe
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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 Japanese or 1 large Chinese eggplant
  • 10oz medium firm tofu (280g)
  • potato starch

Misoyaki Sauce

  • 1 tbsp sake
  • ½ tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp mentusyu (15 ml // or soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp aji mirin
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • 1-2 teaspoon chili bean paste (10g)

Instructions

  1. Rinse and cut off the top of the eggplant. Then chop the eggplant rangiri-style by rotating the eggplant (see vide) into equal size pieces. Transfer to a bowl of cold salted water and let it rest for 5 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, slice the tofu into bite sized squares. Pat it dry and then coat all sides with potato starch. Over medium high heat, add some oil and cook the tofu on each side until golden brown (about 45-60 seconds per side). Remove from pan.
  3. Drain the eggplant well. Over medium to medium high heat add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan and then add the eggplant. Let eggplant soak up the oil (the eggplant will soak it up relatively quickly). Key point: As soon as the oil is absorbed by the eggplant, flip the them so that the skin side is facing down. This will help maintain the purple colour while still achieving some nice charring. Once the skin side is nice and brown, flip onto the other side and fry until light golden brown. In the meantime, dissolve the miso paste with the mirin. 
  4. Then add the sake, sugar and kombu mentsuyu and swirl the pan around 1-2 times. Add the tofu and let it cook until most of sauce is absorbed by the eggplant and tofu. Turn heat down to medium low and then add in the miso and chili bean paste. Key point: adding miso toward the end will ensure it doesn't burn and retains its flavour. Swirl the pan and then let it cook for 30-45 seconds to allow the eggplant and tofu to absorb the remaining sauce. Flip the tofu as needed to ensure the sauce coats everything. 
  5. Turn off the heat, transfer to a plate and then garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with rice or grain of choice and enjoy!

Notes

  • Helpful Equipment:
  • Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer). 

Did you make this recipe?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Anya says

    May 12, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    Didn't have spicy bean paste so I subbed for chili garlic paste and just did it with tofu. Tasted great!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • jen says

      August 05, 2022 at 2:09 am

      you didn't sub *for* chili garlic. You subbed *with* chili garlic.

      Reply
  2. Igor says

    May 12, 2021 at 11:45 pm

    A++
    It is so good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Cosima says

    May 13, 2021 at 3:57 pm

    Thank you for the delicious recipe!
    I love eggplants and i love your recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Ambrose says

    May 17, 2021 at 10:49 am

    This is probably one of the best recipes I’ve ever enjoyed. I made the tofu first a few days ago cause I didn’t have any eggplant on hand and it was DIVINE. So, a few days later I got some eggplant and made it again. It will for sure become a staple recipe in my life now.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Sofie says

    May 18, 2021 at 2:10 am

    Sooo tasty! I didn’t have spicy bean paste so I sort of made my own by mixing black bean paste with chili paste. Will definitely make this again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Ezrah says

    May 21, 2021 at 12:22 am

    I loved this so much!! Very easy to make a large batch and even reheats well in a microwave. My boyfriend loved it too and he hasn't really ever had eggplant.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Ringaile says

    May 21, 2021 at 4:59 am

    So delicious and easy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Maru says

    May 21, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    i used mushrooms instead of eggplant and it was just AMAZING! such a different flavor. i’m from brazil and this type of food is very very different for our palate, but my entire family fell in love with the taste! hehe next time i’ll try the recipe again with the eggplants. can’t wait ❤️

    Reply
  9. Candida says

    May 24, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    Easy to make and super delicious! My tip from experience: to keep tofu crunchy, don’t mix it with starch until the last minute before frying. I let mine sit a couple minutes and it got a bit soggy - still tasty though 😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Alexander Lilja says

    May 25, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    10/10 will do again

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Kim says

    May 25, 2021 at 7:31 pm

    I've been looking for an eggplant recipe that didn't involve deep frying the eggplant. This tasted really good! I omitted the sake because I don't drink and I didn't want to buy a bottle for one tablespoon. My tofu pan-frying abilities are wanting but I think that's more user error than the recipe haha. I will try this again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Gillian says

    May 27, 2021 at 5:09 pm

    So good! Left out the sake and used cornstarch instead of potato starch because that's what I had. Delicious and easy, will definitely make again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Clara says

    June 02, 2021 at 11:54 am

    10/10 I already love eggplant and tofu but this took it to the next level, would recommend!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  14. Linda says

    June 04, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    Quick, easy, cheap and sooo yummy 😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  15. Hanna says

    June 25, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    This was so good!! I tossed the tofu in potato starch pretty early and the coating ended up pretty gooey afterwards...which I really, really liked. I had no idea potato starch would do that! Will definitely make this again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  16. Andrea says

    June 26, 2021 at 4:03 am

    Love eggplant and tofu and very easy to make!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. Yasmin says

    June 29, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    Loved this so much! My favourite tofu recipe I’ve tried yet!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  18. Anishandcraft says

    July 05, 2021 at 10:13 am

    Very easy and very delicious!
    Thank
    You for all the recipes!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  19. Belle says

    July 07, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    Easy to make and super yummy! I ran out of tofu so I replaced it with oyster mushrooms. I cooked a portion for 2 with intentions to keep it for my next day lunch but ended up finishing everything in one sitting.

    Reply
  20. Belle says

    July 08, 2021 at 10:23 am

    Easy and super delicious to make. I replaced the tofu with oyster mushrooms cos i ran out 😅 it went really well together. I've tried using the sauce recipe on other veggies like gem lettuce and it tastes equally amazing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  21. Teresa says

    July 08, 2021 at 8:27 pm

    Thank you so much! it tasted so good, and it was fun to make it. Delicious in flavour and in texture contrast.
    ++++

    Reply
  22. Adinda says

    July 12, 2021 at 10:54 pm

    Bomb!!! Thank you for making me to love eggplants after hating it for aaaages. You guys need to try it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  23. Lot van Teylingen says

    July 13, 2021 at 10:08 am

    super super tasty and easy, perfect for when you have serious miso cravings but feel like you can't ever recreate that authentic Japanese flavour: you can! Try it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  24. Tricia says

    July 20, 2021 at 3:51 am

    Wow!! Made this for dinner tonight and my hubby and I were in heaven! How delish!!! Thanks for this recipe and can’t wait to try more!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  25. Stephanie Vasquez says

    August 08, 2021 at 11:18 am

    I had never enjoyed eggplant so much! Thanks a lot for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  26. Francine says

    August 24, 2021 at 12:35 am

    A definite must-try, and deceptively simple when you have a fully stocked pantry. I usually double my dinners so I have lunch for work the next day, and this kept pretty well overnight in the fridge--still tasty over a bed of rice after some time in the microwave. Also, people kept asking me what I made (nyahaha!)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  27. Tabtim says

    August 31, 2021 at 11:58 pm

    Another amazingggg recipe! I make this every week and I always look forward to it😍😍

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  28. Krysten says

    October 02, 2021 at 2:21 am

    I did a mix of two recipes this one without the eggplant and and the vegan spicy “tuna”. Both recipes are absolutely delicious and easy to follow. I’ve been slowly going meatless and these recipes leave me full and satisfied! I haven’t come across a recipe I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  29. Cece says

    November 10, 2021 at 8:54 pm

    I ABSOLUTELY love this recipe! I prefer my eggplants a bit more crunchy so I oil-fry it first but pan-fry is still so good!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  30. Philip G says

    November 11, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    Simple and delicious! Perfect as a weekday meal.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  31. Jaclyn L. says

    December 14, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    I made this after Lisa posted it on Instagram and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I used firm tofu but next time I will try it with soft (where I am they sell soft and medium textured tofu). I also am not a fan of eggplant so I added zucchini and it worked just as well!! I also want to see how this recipe would taste if I added sweet potato noodles! The endless possibilities to build on this~

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  32. Lynn D Nepom says

    January 16, 2022 at 3:59 am

    My husband who does not like eggplant loved it! Me too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Cindy WJ says

      October 15, 2022 at 11:05 pm

      Delicious blend of flavors! I used an Italian? Chinese? Globe eggplant that I picked from our garden yesterday. I used unknown firmness kettle style tofu made locally - I didn’t have potato starch, so I just fried it on a cast-iron griddle which crisped it up nicely and then added it. I also did not have sake so I used extra dry sherry instead. And tamari. It was delectable.. Do not neglect to add the scallions and sesame seeds! Yum. I will make it again using different veggies. To be honest I had burned out on eggplant we had so many this year; and this was a fresh new way to eat that I wish I had discovered earlier instead of endless soggy eggplant in soups and Tomato-eggplant bakes. It’s a winner!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  33. Rachel says

    January 19, 2022 at 2:37 pm

    Loved this recipe! I don’t usually enjoy eggplant, but my sister made me this and it will definitely be added to my list of recipes to make again!! It was so simple and packed with amazing flavours

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  34. Effing Great Food says

    February 03, 2022 at 5:14 am

    A classic combination but this recipe definitely elevates it. Love.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  35. Brittany says

    February 03, 2022 at 4:17 pm

    So good! I didn’t have mentusyu but the sauce was still amazing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  36. Rayleigh says

    February 04, 2022 at 9:37 pm

    I got my hands on a Chinese eggplant and knew immediately I had to pick one of your recipes to use for it. This misoyaki eggplant and tofu was soooooooo good. The Chinese eggplant has such a gentle flavor. I didn’t have to substitute anything from the recipe. I will definitely be making this again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  37. Sonia says

    April 23, 2022 at 10:33 pm

    Absolutely delicious! The flavors of the red miso, mirin, and sake (ingenious!) melded perfectly. This dish even won over my eggplant-hating husband 🙂

    I did take another reviewer’s suggestion of subbing chili garlic paste for the spicy bean paste (didn’t have this one on hand), and I also added some maitaake mushrooms. This will go into my regular rotation - except I will be doubling it next time!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  38. Komorebi Trail says

    April 27, 2022 at 4:15 am

    I hated eggplant until I tried "Nasu Dengaku" in Japan. Have loved the combination of eggplant with shiro miso since then 😀

    This would be a great meal today, with a good macro balance - tofu, miso, and eggplant.
    Thank you for sharing the recipe Lisa.

    Komorebi Trail

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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