mapo eggplant

leah | 03.17.2020

it's mapo tofu but with eggplant

recipe:
i got the idea for this from anita lo's solo, but i think it might also be an actual thing that people regularly make? it's basically whatever mapo tofu recipe you already use (not gonna post mine to avoid discussions about ~authenticity) with a couple additional steps.

• cut eggplant into 3/4 inch thick half moons. i like using asian eggplants, not the big italian ones.
• salt eggplants and let sit for 20 min. drain the gross eggplant water, rinse, and dry.
• fry the eggplants in a good amount of oil, replenishing as necessary, until they're deeply browned and squishy. remove from pan and set aside.
• cook your mapo tofu like normal but toss the eggplant back in before adding the stock. finish as usual without adding tofu.
• serve with rice, obv