Spicy Mapo Eggplant for a One-Bowl Meal
A tender, spicy one-bowl rice topping made with plenty of eggplant cooked in mapo tofu seasoning.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This one-bowl dish adds plenty of eggplant to the mapo tofu cooking method, bringing out a soft texture and rich flavor. Minced garlic and gochugaru are fried first for aroma, then simmered spicy with doubanjiang seasoning and broth. Thickened with a starch slurry, it makes a hearty topping over a bowl of rice.
- Servings
- 5–6 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Ground pork200 g
- Eggplant2
- Tofu1/2 block, 300 g
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper1
- Large green onion (daepa)1/4 stalk
- Minced garlic2 tbsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Potato starch2 tbsp
- Water2 tbsp
- Anchovy broth2 cups
Meat marinade
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Salt1/2 tsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Minced ginger1/2 tsp
- Ground black peppera little
Seasoning
- Doubanjiang (chili bean paste)2 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))2 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Sugar1/2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- Press the meat firmly with paper towels to remove excess blood.
- Depending on what you have in the fridge, you can also use vegetables like mushrooms or zucchini.
- If you do not have doubanjiang, you can substitute 1 tbsp doenjang and 1 tbsp gochujang.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Eggplant makes up the largest portion of the ingredients. I prepared 2 plump eggplants and half a block of hand-made tofu. I finely chopped pork tenderloin.
Press the meat firmly with paper towels to remove excess blood.
Here are the large green onion, Cheongyang chili peppers, and red chili pepper.
Depending on what you have in the fridge, you can also use vegetables like mushrooms or zucchini.
Season the meat and prepare the starch slurry
Mix the pork gently by hand with 1 tbsp regular soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp mirin, 1/2 tsp minced ginger, and a little ground black pepper.
This removes any off-odors and seasons the meat beforehand.
Mix 2 tbsp potato starch with 2 tbsp water.
Cut the ingredients
Dice the eggplant and tofu into cubes of about 1 to 1.5 cm.
Slice the large green onion and chili peppers thinly.
Stir-fry the meat
Heat a generous amount of oil in a heated pan, add 2 tbsp minced garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant.
Add 2 tbsp gochugaru and the pork, then stir-fry without burning until the meat is fully cooked.
Doing it this way creates both garlic oil and chili oil at the same time.
Simmer
Pour in 2 cups anchovy broth, add 2 tbsp doubanjiang, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp corn syrup, and 1/2 tbsp sugar, then bring to a bubbling boil.
If you do not have doubanjiang, you can substitute 1 tbsp doenjang and 1 tbsp gochujang.
Add the tofu and eggplant, and simmer until softened.
Taste the broth, and adjust with salt if it tastes bland.
Add the large green onion and chili peppers, restir the settled starch slurry, and swirl it all over while simmering.
Once the starch slurry goes in, stir quickly so it does not clump up.
When it reaches a glossy, just-right thickness, finish with toasted sesame oil.
Finish
I had leftover eggplant so I slipped it into mapo tofu, and it is so soft and truly delicious.
If eggplants are about to become neglected in your fridge, try adding them to mapo tofu like I did.
Even kids who dislike eggplant will love it.
How does it look?
Looks delicious, right.
With just kimchi on the side, it makes a delicious one-bowl meal.
Ppunwife's tips
- Stir-frying minced garlic, gochugaru, and pork together in a generous amount of oil in a heated pan creates both garlic oil and chili oil at once.
- Once the starch slurry goes in, you must stir quickly so it does not clump up.
FAQ
How do I season this if I don't have doubanjiang?
You can mix and use 1 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) and 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste) instead of doubanjiang.
How do I keep the starch slurry from clumping when adding it?
Restir the settled starch slurry evenly before swirling it in, then stir quickly while simmering so it does not form clumps.
Can I add other vegetables besides eggplant?
Yes, depending on what is in your fridge, you can easily include various vegetables like mushrooms or zucchini.
