Vegan Mapo Eggplant (Mabo Nasu) Rice Bowl

Do you like “mapo tofu”? Then, have you heard of mapo eggplant which is an eggplant version of mapo tofu? In Japan, a lot of people choose to make it when they have eggplants to consume in their fridges.

In this recipe, I use tofu in place of minced pork which is an authentic ingredient in mapo eggplant, so it’s totally vegan. However, the taste is as good as the one that is made with pork, and even more, I put it on steamed rice. This mapo eggplant rice bowl is perfect for weekend lunches or even weeknight dinners!

What is Mapo Eggplant?

Mapo eggplant (mabo dofu in Japanese) is the same as mapo tofu except the fact that that eggplants are used in the dish instead of tofu. The origin of mapo tofu is obviously China, but mapo eggplant was invented in Japan many years after mapo tofu introduced from China.

Mapo eggplant is made by frying eggplants and pork meat with a sauce that consists of mainly doubanjiang and tianmianjiang. In Japan, mapo eggplant is usually served with steamed rice like mapo tofu.

Ingredients you will need

Eggplants – You can use any type of eggplants for this recipe.

Extra Firm Tofu or Pressed Tofu – To make imitation pork meat, you have to use extra firm tofu or pressed tofu

Garlic & Ginger – They are important to get more flavour in your mapo eggplant. You can use either minced or grated ones.

Chili Flakes (optional) – If you are not a big fan of spicy food, you can omit chili flakes.

Sake – White wine is perfect substitute for sake, you just use the same amout of it.

Doubanjiang (Chinese broad bean chili sauce) – If you want your mapo eggplant less spicy, reduce the amount of doubanjiang.

You can make a substitute by mixing Soy sauce, Miso, Grated Garlic, and Chili Powder = (1 tsp : 1 tbsp : 1/4 tsp : 1 tsp)

Tianmianjiang (Chinese sweet bean sauce) – If you want your mapo eggplant sweeter, add a little bit more of tianmianjiang to it.

You can make a substitute by mixing Sugar, Soy Sauce, Miso = (1/2 tbsp : 1/2 tsp : 1 tbsp)

Soy Sauce – I use Japanese dark soy sauce (Koikuchi syoyu) in this recipe which is the most common type of soy sauce. You can use any brand of soy sauce in your mapo eggplant.

Potato Starch – This is used to make the sauce thick. Corn starch works perfectly too.

Oil – I recommend using flavourless oil that has a high smoke point, e.g. peanut oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil.

Sesame Oil – Sesame oil is for a nutty aroma. If you don’t like sesame oil, omit it.

Steamed Rice – Japanese short grain rice is great for mapo eggplant, but you can use other type of rice for the recipe, for example jasmine rice, and basmati rice.

How to cook Japanese Rice in a dutch oven

Green Onion – This is for garnish. Other herbs such as cilantro, garlic chives are also good for some colour.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. If you use Extra firm tofu, you can skip this process. To prepare the tofu, wrap it with a clean tea towel or a piece of kitchen towel and place it on a tray or a plate. Put something heavy such as a saucepan and weigh it down more with cans or jars. Leave it for about 1 hour to press the excess water out as much as possible.

2. Chop your eggplants like the photo below and fry them with some oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until softened. Then transfer them to a plate, and set them aside.

3. In the same frying pan, heat some oil over medium-high heat and add the tofu, then, fry and scrumble it at the same time. Continue cooking scrambled tofu until excess water has evaporated.

4. Add ginger, garlic, and chili flakes (optional) to the pan, then fry the mixture until fragrant. Then, add doubanjiang and Tianmianjiang.

5. Continue frying the tofu and sauce until the colour has deepened. Pour sake and water into the pan, and cook for about 3 minutes.

6. Mix 2 tsp of potato starch and 4 tsp of water in a small bowl.Add the fried eggplants to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, and turn the heat off. Pour the potato starch water which was prepared earlier into the pan and stir it. Make sure to stir the potato starch water again before adding it to the pan.

7. Turn the heat on to continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Potato starch has to be cooked well to avoid the sauce getting slimy.

8. Prepare 2 bowls of steamed rice, and put the mapo eggplant in each bowl. Sprinkle some chopped green onion on top, and serve immediately!

Tips for making Vegan Mapo Eggplant Rice Bowl

Fry your eggplants until soft

It is very important to cook your eggplants until they are completely soft to get a melting texture.

Cook the sauce until deepen in colour

To make the sauce more flavourful, doubanjiang and tianmianjiang has to be cooked enough to enhance the flavour.

Cook your potato starch water enough

It is a common mistake to stop heating as soon as potato starch water has been added to the sauce, but you have to continue cooking to cook out the starchness of the sauce.

Q & A

Can I make substitutes for Doubanjiang?

Yes, you can make a substitute by mixing Soy sauce, Miso, Grated Garlic, and Chili Powder = (1 tsp : 1 tbsp : 1/4 tsp : 1 tsp)

Can I make substitutes for Tianmianjiang?

Yes, you can make a substitute by mixing Sugar, Soy Sauce, Miso = (1/2 tbsp : 1/2 tsp : 1 tbsp)

What other vegetables can I use for the recipe?

Bell peppers, cabbages, leeks, and onions are great with mapo sauce.

Can I use other types of rice for the recipe?

Yes, you can use other rice such as jasmine rice and basmati rice.

How can I make my mapo eggplant less spicy?

You can make your mapo eggplant less spicy by reducing the amount of doubanjiang.

More Rice Recipes to Enjoy

How to cook Japanese Rice in a dutch oven

How to Cook Japanese Rice In a Pot

Eggplant Kabayaki Rice Bowl (Vegan)

Vegan Crispy Fried Tofu Rice Bowl with Korean Spicy Sauce (Yangnyeom)

Skillet Bibimbap (Vegan)