Mapo Tofu with Eggplant – a milder variation 麻婆豆腐+茄子

This is a recipe for a huge batch (about 6~8 servings)… halve the ingredients if you don’t want so much.
  Ingredients:

2tbsp sesami oil

2 cloves garlic

a small handful of spring onion (2″ lengths)

about 500g ground beef (or pork mince)

about 500g eggplant, cut to roughly 1″ chunks

200g shiitake mushrooms, cut to 1cm pieces

200g ~ 300g tofu, cut into 1″ cubes

1L water (can use stock, but not necessary)

1tbsp chicken stock powder

4tbsp oyster sauce

4tbsp soy sauce

1/2 ~ 1 tsp minced chillies in chilli oil

4tbsp cornflour + mixed in cold water

spring onion shreds to garnish

If you have access to these ingredients, add them in for a fuller flavour:

• 1/2 tbsp satay paste (not the kind that looks like peanut sauce)
• 1/2 tbsp dark/sweet soy
• sichun peppercorns (this is what gives mapo tofu that authentic numbing spiciness)

 

Instructions:

1. Heat the sesame oil in a large deep frying pan (or a wok).
2. Saute the half the garlic and spring onion for a couple of minutes (until you can smell the lovely aroma) then add the eggplant and mushroom.
3. Toss and stir until the eggplant and mushroom are all nicely covered with the garlicky aromatic sesame oil and the surfaces of the eggplant are starting to cook. Set aside in a large plate or bowl.
4. Clean and dry the frying pan.
5. Saute the rest of the garlic and spring onion with some sesame oil.
6. Slightly cook the meat with the garlic and spring onion for a few minutes, but don’t over cook it.
7. Add the water to the meat, add the chicken powder, soy sauces and oyster sauce, and bring to boil. This is why you don’t really need to use stock.
8. Now add the eggplant and mushroom to them boiling meat and stock. Stir and mix well.
9. Mix in the chilli and simmer for a few minutes.
10. Finally thicken with cornflour, stirring it in quickly but gently.
11. Watch it simmer for about half a minute then turn off the heat.
12. Serve on rice. Top with some fresh spring onion and a couple of shakes of chilli spice.