Friday, October 24, 2008

Lemon Miso Tofu & Eggplant


Here we have my new favourite way to eat tofu, and my discovery that yes I can cook eggplant at home and it will taste good. I don't know why I was always so afraid of eggplant because it's really delicious.

This is one of those amazing tofu recipes that you could use to try and convert non tofu believers, but on the other hand - why not just hoard its deliciousness all for yourself?


In other news, we just adopted a kitten! She's 7 months old and we've had her for a week now.

Lemon Miso Tofu and Eggplant
Adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

You can either use the suggested eggplant and tofu, or do no eggplant and double the amount of tofu yum!

1 tbsp minced lemon zest
2 tbsp miso
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp wasabi powder
1 block extra firm tofu
2 Japanese eggplant

Press and drain the tofu. Prepare the glaze by whisking together the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl (minced lemon zest through wasabi powder). Marinate overnight, then strain through a sieve to remove the solids. Next, cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Arrange them in a single layer in a shallow dish with sides. Pour half of the glaze over the tofu, toss to coat and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Slice eggplants into 1/2" thick coins and pour remaining glaze over the eggplant. Toss to coat and let marinate for 30 min.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare a baking sheet with oil, parchment paper or whatever you want. Evenly spread out the tofu and eggplant (you might need two baking sheets for this if you want them evenly spread out). Bake for 20 minutes, or until the eggplanta nd tofu are golden and cooked through. Halfway through baking, flip the tofu and eggplant. Serve hot and use leftover glaze for dipping.

32 comments:

Simple and Divine said...

OMG SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!! :) Congrats on you new baby!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oooh, lovely flavor combinations in the dish!!

GORGEOUS kitten!!

Anonymous said...

Yay! Another great way to eat tofu! Can't wait to try this one (and I even have that cookbook!) :)

Amy said...

Mmmm You make me wish I could eat tofu so badly! And I'm completely in love with your furry new baby!

Nicole said...

The kitten is SO ADORABLE!!!!

Steph said...

I love tofu and eggplant! How can I not like tofu.. it has to be one of the easiest things to eat.. hahah. I really like the flavours in this recipe, but 1 tbsp of wasabi!! That's a little too much heat for me!

Btw, cute kitty!

Anonymous said...

i really like eggplant, too. the tofu sounds soo delicious. i have all the ingredients except for the wasabi powder. do you think it's necessary in the dish? or can it be substituted/left out?

eatme_delicious said...

Thanks everybody. =)

joanna: I think it'd probably be fine without the wasabi powder. I don't think I even tasted it and didn't find it added really any heat. Let me know how it turns out if you do try it. =)

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

Look at that adorable cat. Too cute! Dish looks healthy.

Snooky doodle said...

the kitten is cute. Great recipe with the eggplant I always wonder how i m going to cook it

Meg said...

Your kitten is adorbale. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!

Carla said...

Wow, look at that fluffy tail! Does Kitty like tofu? haha

Tracy said...

Your kitten is so cute! I love cats -- I wish I wasn't terribly allergic to them.

grace said...

don't get me wrong--i like food, but the kitty steals my attention away from your great dish. what's her name?

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

What a cute kitten, I see she has decided that her spot is beside the fire.

Anonymous said...

The kitten looks sooo pretty! What's her name? You must post more about her :P

Rita said...

I love eggplant, but I wonder if the wasabi makes it too spicy... I 've had a bad experience with wasabiin the past....

Anonymous said...

the tofu looks so yummy! and your kitty is such a cutie! but she has a really long tail!

Anonymous said...

i made this last night for dinner. i think i would've liked it better if i peeled the eggplant. the skin was pretty tough, so i mainly just ate the tofu. the tofu had a lot of flavor, but i wish i would've had the wasabi powder to add a little kick to it.

Anonymous said...

i didn't hate this! haha i'm just new to this flavor. i think lemon and miso is just an acquired taste. i've only eaten miso in miso soup with veg. stock, but i'm still glad i tried it.

the pear muffins, on the other hand, were gone 6 hours maybe. i made 4 of them and ate 2 for lunch and 2 for dinner. i was so happy to find your pear recipe because not many people cook with pears. when i saw it, i was like "ahh! i can finally use this one pear that i've had no clue what to do with!"

Usha said...

Oh your kitten is so cute and beautiful...the eggplant dish sounds interesting !

Anonymous said...

my hubby would absolutely love this dish! he loves ANYTHING tofu! the lemon and eggplant sound delicious!

Maria said...

What a great dish! All of the flavors sound fabulous! And what a cute kitty!!

Sarah said...

Think you can convince my bf that eggplant can taste yummy?? I might have to use tofu & just slip in a couple slivers of eggplant. :)

Beautiful kitten! I'm envious.

Lisa said...

I've been trying to cook eggplant for a while now but with unsatisfying results. Mine usually ends up too squishy. This recipe, however, looks delicious, plus I love tofu, so I'm going to give it a try. Oh, and congratulations on your new friend!

Anonymous said...

Just discovered your blog! I'm glad I did! Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. I think I had it a little too much this summer so now I am holding off a bit. I love your recipe for eggplant and tofu. I made something with eggplant and tofu in soy sauce and it was divine.

dmargster said...

I know this recipe is a little old but I wanted you to know that I love it, I make it often and thank you for posting it! Really, what could be a better marriage than tofu, eggplant and miso? Three ingredients that I can't do without. The recipe is so simple and good that I made it tonight even though it has been a hot and humid day in Montreal. And I love coming back to this page to look at that adorable photo of your kitteh! How's she doing?

eatme_delicious said...

dmargster: I'm happy to hear you love it! It's a favourite of mine too. I've made it without the eggplant and with extra tofu! Our kitty is doing great, aside from digging in our plants! ;)

Kelly said...

I got eggplant this week from my CSA and had NO IDEA what to do with it. Tried this recipe and it was delicious! I was too lazy to run the glaze through a sieve and it was still great. I think next time I might bake it longer to try and get a little crisp on the tofu.

eatme_delicious said...

Kelly: So glad you liked it! =) Yea I prefer a crisp tofu too.

Lisa said...

Oh my gosh. I must try this. It will definitely be on my dinner plate next week.

janet said...

I will slowly eat my way through your favourite tofu dishes. This one was very nice. :)

Wrote about it here: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/lemon-miso-tofu-and-eggplant/