Spicy Vegan Eggplant with Tofu and Basmati Rice

Over the weekend Jes and I hosted two Nepali women from Jagaran Media Center at our guesthouse, one of whom is vegetarian.  I’ve been apprehensive about buying the sketchy fly-coated meat sold out of stall shops, so hosting a vegetarian was a new opportunity to try out tofu.  At 10 rupees, the price of tofu is hard to pass up and it’s the cheapest protein I’ve found next to dhal.  I served the eggplant with rice,  lime turmeric potatoes with carrots, with a side of papaya and mango fruit salad for a sweet finish.

Make the rice first.  For one cup of rice, use 1 2/3 cups of cold water.

First, put the pot on high and add a bit of oil (olive or safflower) to the bottom.  Add the rice to the hot oil, and saute until slightly translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add the cold water and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand another 15-20 minutes.  Fluff with a fork before serving.

Eggplant:

3 small Asian eggplants, sliced longways then cut on a diagonal into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

1 cup (cube) firm tofu, sliced, diced, cut as you like

A bit of sesame oil

1 T chili powder- New Mexico is great.

Safflower oil or olive oil

1 c vege broth

2 T tomato paste

4 small or roma tomatoes, diced

1 bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander), chopped

For paste:

1 large shallot

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger

8-12 Indian green chilies (or serranos)

1 head of garlic

 

First, coat the sliced tofu with a bit of sesame oil.  Sprinkle with chili powder, and set aside while you chop everything else.

For the paste, it’s best to chop then use a food processor or mortar and pestle.  I didn’t have such a luxury, so just mashed everything the best I could and minced as finely as possible.

Fry the tofu in a tablespoon or so of safflower oil.  Don’t move it around much, browning it on all sides. If you have a wok, rockit.  Add a bit more chili powder while it’s cooking for some extra spice.   Pull it out of the oil and drain tofu on paper towels or in a sieve.

Next fry the chili paste until the onions become translucent and the flavors mingle well, 3-5 minutes.  Add a bit of extra oil while cooking- you’re going to use this same pan and oil for the eggplant.

Remove the chili shallot mixture, and add the eggplant.  Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, work in batches if you need to.  When the eggplant is slightly browned, add back the chilies and shallots, and add the tomato paste, cooking a few minutes more.  Add the cup of vegetable broth and cover, cooking for about 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft.  Add the tomatoes and fresh cilantro, season with salt and pepper.  Cook just a minute for the tomatoes to soften, and enjoy.

 

This dinner ended with a dancing to Stevie Wonder.  Spicy food + Nepali women + Stevie = Dance party?