Sticky eggplant, tofu and noodle salad
Servings: 4
Sticky, sweet, textural, meaty and just happens to be vegan? Tick, tick, tick, tick! This bowl’s gloriously glistening with eggplant that’s fried until it yields to silky strips, sponging up the sticky teriyaki sauce. Speaking of sponges, that’s exactly what tofu puffs are, and they get even juicier in the dressing overnight. Udon noodles are nifty because they’re slippery and chunky, and you’ll find fresh udon noodles in the chilled section at the shops. You’ll get the best spring onion curls if you pop them into iced water, but slicing them chunky to fry with the rest of the mix is also an option. This is delicious cold and can be made a day ahead and brought back to room temperature to serve.
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Ingredients
- 2 eggplants, (aubergines) about 800 g (1 lb 12 oz)
- 2 tsp salt flakes
- 200 g (7 oz) fresh udon noodles
- Neutral oil for shallow-frying I like rice bran or grapeseed
- 200 g (7 oz) tofu puffs torn in half
STICKY TERIYAKI SAUCE
- ½ cup (125 ml) light soy sauce
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1 tsp finely grated garlic
- 1 tsp sesame oil
FINAL BITS & BOBS
- 2 spring onions (scallions) finely sliced on the diagonal and soaked in cold water
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Cut eggplant into 1 cm (⅜ inch) slices lengthwise, then into chunky chips about 5 cm (2 inches) long, sprinkle with salt and set aside in a colander for 30 minutes.
- While you wait for the eggplant to sweat, make the teriyaki sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cook the udon noodles according to packet instructions and toss with a couple of tablespoons of the warm sauce.
- Squeeze the eggplant through the colander and pat dry with paper towel.
- Heat 1 cm (⅜ inch) of neutral oil in a wok or heavy-based frying pan until shimmering, then cook the eggplant in batches until golden (watch out – it might spit a little) for about 6 minutes, adding more oil if needed.
- Once all of the eggplant is cooked, use the residual oil in the pan to give the torn tofu puffs a new lease on life, tossing about for a minute or two to turn slightly more golden.
- Transfer most of the frying oil out of the pan into a heatproof bowl, leaving a couple of tablespoons remaining. Crank the heat to medium and, when the oil is shimmering once more, toss the tofu puffs and cooked eggplant back into the pan along with the sauce, sizzling everything together for a minute or so to coat and become glossy.
- When ready to serve, arrange the udon on a platter and tumble the eggplant and tofu puffs with the sauce over the noodles.
- For the final bedazzle, sprinkle with drained and spun spring onions curls, and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
Recipe from Salad for Days, Murdoch Books
