**Update: I know that subscribers haven’t been receiving their daily emails for today and tomorrow. We’re working hard on fixing this as soon as possible. Thank you very much for your patience my lovelies! xxx**
Sometimes I’m not a very good wife. Sometimes I do things that I want and drag Mr NQN along as a somewhat unwilling participant. The restaurant visits, well they’re fine as he gets fed but the shopping and the movies, now that tests his patience. There was the time I took him to see a movie called “Bright Star”. I didn’t actually tell him what it was about on purpose (a movie about the last three years of poet John Keats’s life). He turned to me a few minutes into the film looking alarmed and searching for the exit. “Where on earth have you taken me?” he asked panicked. I mean this was a chick film and then some.
He fell asleep during it head leaning back against the headrest in his loudest posture of protest possible. I had to make it up to him and that was to do something or make something that he likes. And every time I ask him to come and do something that he doesn’t want to with me, I am only too happy to make him something to make up for it.
Mr NQN grew up eating tofu and he adores the stuff. Along with that his favourite flavour is ginger and so when urged by friend Renee to try a tofu, eggplant and ginger hot pot in the new Janella Purcell book Eating For The Seasons that I received to review some time ago I knew this would be to make up for a gruelling girly session.
This was also good because it was low fat and if the weather is any indication you know what is up next. Yep that’s right, dress weather! The coats, boots and jeans that we have been hiding under will have to be discarded, stripped away brutally and we shall have to show naked arms and legs before long. Sydney’s weather lately has had somewhat of an identity crisis and the coats we put away for a sunny 33C degree day have now been shrugged back on for the cold days.
Thankfully this dish straddles both the cold temperatures and the hopefully impending warmth of Spring. It’s comforting enough to get you through the night, yet is still light and tasty enough to ready you for Spring and then Summer. The flavour from the ginger, dashi, coriander and chilli contrasts with the soft caramelised eggplant and pillowy tofu. I serve this with rice to soak up the lovely sauce or you could omit the cornstarch and serve it like a tofu and eggplant udon soup.
So tell me Dear Reader, what are you looking forward to doing in Spring (or Autumn/Fall if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere)?
Chinese Tofu & Eggplant Hot Pot
Adapted from Eating For The Seasons by Janella Purcell, published by Allen & Unwin, $39.95
- 8 long Japanese eggplants (the long, thin ones)
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 large leek, halved lengthways and rinsed thoroughly
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- a thumb sized piece of ginger, chopped
- 1-2 small red chillies
- 1 tablespoon coriander stems, rinsed well and finely chopped
- 3-4 teaspoons dashi powder*
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
- 200g fresh udon noodle packet
- 835g packet of tofu (not silken) cut into large squares
- 2 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
- 2 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
- Boiled rice to serve
Buyer’s tip: Dashi is a concentrated Japanese bonito fish stock available at Japanese grocery stores. It resembles tiny little pellets rather than a fine powder.
1. Preheat the oven or grill to 180C/350F. Slice the eggplant diagonally into 4cm pieces. Brush them lightly with some of the oil (I needed about 2.5 tablespoons for the eggplant) and bake for 30 minutes.
2. Slice the leek into half moons and place in a bowl with the chopped garlic, ginger, chillies and coriander stems. Heat a hot pot on the stove to medium and add the remaining oil. Cook the leek and garlic mixture for a couple of minutes. Add the eggplant and then add enough water to cover the eggplant-I know this is vague and I hate giving directions like this but I’d say add a couple of cups of water and then add 1 or 2 cups more. The more liquid you use the more sauce you will get but you don’t want it drowning in liquid because you will lose the flavour. I think I added about 3 cup’s worth. Cover with lid and simmer for 15 minutes until eggplant is soft and tender. Add the soy sauce and dashi and taste for seasoning-if you need more flavour add a bit more dashi.
3. Add the udon noodle packet to the mixture and allow to soften for a few minutes. Drain the tofu and rinse under cold water draining well. Gently add the tofu to the mixture and stir gently to warm through. Turn off the heat (it will still be warm) and add the cornstarch mixture making sure to distribute it evenly in the liquid. This will help to thicken it. Garnish with spring onions, sesame oil and coriander leaves. Serve with boiled rice.
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now? 
NQN on Facebook
RSS
33 Comments | Add your own
A marvelous dish! Such tofu dishes are always wonderful.
Cheers,
Rosa
Ohh, I love a warm, comforting hot pot!
eggplant and tofu together is a delicious combination..yum..
YUM YUM YUM! I bet this smelled amazing too!
I am looking forward to Spring actually arriving in Canberra lol
i am so going to use this recipe!
This looks and sounds delicious – I adore tofu and ginger. Melbourne has resolutely gone back into winter, so I am not thinking about spring activities at present.
Solid, I’ve been hitting up vego recipes of late. So much easier to lose weight and so much flavour if you do them well
Ok I’m excited. I’m funny with tofu, but if it’s in a delicious sauce, and with eggplant (my favourite!) I can deal. I will make it with something different than the dashi though. Bless you for posting this! <3
I heart dashi stock :> thanks for the great recipe Lorraine!
I’m looking forward to drinking all those bottles of lovely whites that I bought on my recent trip to the Barossa Valley in spring…alas if only it could just stop raining in Canberra /.<
What a great cold-night-in meal. I just love eggplant, and this is such a great mix of flavours, yummm. We had to change restaurants for a fancy dinner recently because tofu was on the degustation menu, and my hubby loathes it
I will make a little serve just for me 
Spring, what spring?
MR NQN has good taste, my favourite dishes contain tofu ginger and coriander and you can’t go wrong with a bit of Dashi.
The whole dish looks delicious, fresh and healthy. I can’t wait to try it.
I am looking forward to the warm weather, I am a lizard, I have no natural body temperature and I need the sunshine to warm me!
Yum! This doesn’t even look like it would take long – I’m always after ways to make soup that don’t involve hours of boiling something in a pot.
Does this all maybe take 45 mins or so?
Absolutely love tofu
! Since my twenties in all kinds of ways! Since I won the wonderful Janella Purcell book quite some time ago, I have prepared this more than once: superb recipe 
! Spring? Is for spring cleaning, of course: garden, home and very much, self 
!
Hi Lauren-Yes about 45 minutes cooking time-the longest part is really the eggplant and you can prep every thing else while that is baking!
Hi Lorraine, Looks delicous! I think I will give this a try on the weekend. If today’s weather is any indication it will be the perfect dish
This sounds wonderful, still waiting for Spring to turn up though!
I am going to make this on the weekend! It is very cold in Melbourne at the moment.
The sauce sounds great. And I wonder can I put the eggplant into the soup without baking it to save time.
I took E along to Bright Star and he loved it – though he has been muttering about all the mushy stuff in some of the Dr Who episodes lately – though am not sure he would appreciate this because it is full of eggplant but I suspect I would love it – esp as a soup
What do I look forward to with fall? Mmmm, being able to cook long braises that warm up the house and fill it with such enticing aromas; wearing my boots and warm sweaters; and baking batch after batch of holiday cookies.
Oh yum! And that lovely coriander, so refreshing with the tofu!
What I’m looking forward to in Spring is that is means it’s almost Summer! Spring is pretty and all, but we get hellish wind in Canberra, so bring on the heat!
And the heat in dinners, of course. This looks amazing! Oh how I adore tofu.
Yum! I love eggplant and I love tofu. Perfect
just wondering if you missed out a step? there’s nothing about when to add the soy sauce etc…
Hi te-thanks, I just added it!
Definitely going to have to try this. Looks fab. I’m looking forward to daylight saving, more socialising than I do during winter and some sunny mornings on weekends for some photography expeditions
Never tried tofu and eggplant, sounds interesting for sure.
We’re just coming into Autumn, my favourite season. This recipe looks perfect and really healthy too. Yum!
I love tofu and eggplant (specially caramelised. The one draw to this recipe for me, is it is low fat, yes!
Its so hard to convince my DH to do things which he don’t like and shopping takes the top spot on his dislike list…..
You are a good wife to make this for your DH…. I am sure he must be happy after this.
Love the recipe…
As much as I love my meat, I love tofu. Makes me feel “light”
Oh yum! So glad you tried it out, can’t believe I missed this email though?! Your pics look delicious!
Aah, another morning where I am running late becuase I get so side tracked on your website – going from Beggar’s chicken to 3 cup chicken to tofu and eggplant…..thanks!! I am going to try all three of these in the next few weeks – look out family!
Post a Comment