Misoyaki Eggplant and Tofu

May 11, 2021 By Lisa Kitahara 40 Comments

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

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.
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.
Drain the eggplant well. Over medium to medium high heat add 1 tbsp 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.
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.
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:

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!
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