If you searched for Chinese eggplant and tofu recipes expecting a saucy stir-fry, this one is a little different! Tender steamed eggplant and crunchy raw sugar snap peas in a spicy green-onion-and-garlic sauce, spooned over super firm tofu that’s been flavored and softened in a salted baking soda boil. It’s a protein-packed, vegan tofu dinner recipe for two (41 g protein per serving), ready in 45 minutes!
Want more protein-packed tofu recipes? Try my Easy Braised Tofu, with 24 g of protein per serving, or my Vegan Mapo Tofu with TVP, which packs 28 g!
Key Ingredients & Swaps
- Super firm tofu. Not extra firm; super firm! It’s the most protein-dense form of fresh tofu you can find, and it’s what makes this recipe high protein. You don’t need to press it before using it because it contains very little water. For the macros, I wouldn’t swap in other types of tofu. For taste, though, softer tofu (e.g., silken or medium/firm) works well, and silken tofu doesn’t need boiling.
- Baking soda. The salted baking soda boil is essential: it’s what transforms super firm tofu from dry, somewhat chalky, and unimpressive to flavored, softened, and extraordinary! I tested this method on super firm tofu only.
- Eggplant. I tested the recipe with Chinese eggplant and globe eggplant, and they were interchangeable.
- Sugar snap peas. Keep them raw! I don’t recommend snow peas, which have less crunch and sweetness.
- Dried Chinese chili peppers. They provide a nutty flavor and mild heat; gochugaru would also work. If you don’t eat spicy food, fire-roasted red peppers are an amazing substitute.
- Oil. I tested olive oil and peanut oil, and preferred peanut oil for the mouthfeel.
- Soy sauce. I use Chinese light soy sauce or tamari, like Pearl River Bridge’s light soy sauce or San-J’s regular-sodium tamari. I tried reduced-sodium soy sauce and reduced-sodium tamari, and the dish did not come out the same.
- Zhenjiang black vinegar. This aged Chinese black vinegar is so fragrant and unique, and I wouldn't substitute it.
For no heat, use fire-roasted red peppers (right).
How To Make Super Firm Tofu Soft
Super firm tofu is a wonderfully macro-friendly ingredient, but it can be tough to work with because it’s so dense. I first tried this recipe on raw super firm tofu right out of the package, thinking it might work similarly to silken tofu. Boy, was I wrong (😑).
Then, I learned from the Vegan Punks that baking soda can soften tofu. But I didn't want to wait a few hours, so I decided to boil the tofu in baking soda water. And it worked!
Boil the tofu in salted baking soda water. Salt for flavor (like pasta), and baking soda for texture.
First, I divide each package of super firm tofu into 4 slabs. Then, I use 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoon baking soda in 4 cups of water (about 1 liter), and boil the slabs for about 7 minutes.
I tested 5, 7, and 10 minutes, and 7 minutes had my favorite texture! At 5 minutes, the tofu was already softer than unboiled tofu, but 7 minutes was much better; at 10 minutes, the tofu was the softest, but it didn't look very appealing.
I don't know whether there's a cause-and-effect relationship between baking soda and the discoloration (browning); however, baking-soda-boiled tofu always turns a little brown after draining. I'm testing whether soaking the boiled tofu in water immediately afterward (like packaged fresh tofu) will help lessen the effect. Stay tuned!
Other Testing Notes
- I found that 2 teaspoon baking soda made softer tofu than 1 tsp, so I kept 2 tsp.
- Doubling the salt to 2 tsp was fine for eating the tofu on its own, but it made the tofu slightly too salty with the eggplant mixture.
- Four smaller slabs also seemed softer on average than two bigger slabs.
Steamed Chinese Eggplant over Super Firm Tofu
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan for heating oil
- 1 steamer pot for boiling tofu and steaming eggplant
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 block super firm tofu 454 g, cut lengthwise into 4 slabs
- 4 cups water, or enough to submerge the flat slabs 1 L
- 1 teaspoon salt 6 g
- 2 teaspoon baking soda 12 g
Eggplant mixture
- 1 Chinese eggplant 300 g, about 4 cups cut; or ½ globe eggplant
- 2 to 3 cups water 473 to 710 mL, for the soak
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar 30 mL, for the soak
- 23 sugar snap peas 85 g, about 1 cup sliced
Sauce
- 2 to 4 stalks green onions 40 g, about ½ cup chopped
- 3 cloves garlic 10 g, about 1 tablespoon minced or crushed
- 8 to 10 dried Chinese chili peppers 8 g, cut into strips; or 1 tablespoon gochugaru
- 2 tablespoon peanut oil 30 mL
- ¼ teaspoon sugar 1 g
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 15 mL, or 1 to 1.5 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon Zhenjiang black vinegar 15 mL
Non-Spicy Substitute for Dried Chinese Chili Peppers
- 1 piece fire-roasted red pepper 40 g, about ¼ cup minced
Before you start
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Instructions
- Prep the vegetables and aromatics. Cut 1 Chinese eggplant into bite-sized chunks, about ¾ x ¾ x 1 inch (about 2 x 2 x 2.5 cm), then soak them in 2 to 3 cups water with 2 Tbsp white vinegar until you’re ready to steam. Remove the strings from 23 sugar snap peas and slice them; they stay raw for crunch.Chop 2 to 4 stalks green onions, and mince or crush 3 cloves garlic. Cut 8 to 10 dried Chinese chili peppers into strips with food-grade scissors or a knife. Add the garlic, green onions, and chili peppers to a small heatproof bowl.
- Make the sauce. Heat 2 Tbsp peanut oil over high heat in a small saucepan. Test it with a dry bamboo or wooden chopstick; small bubbles should form quickly around the chopstick when the oil is ready, about 2 to 2.5 minutes (I recommend using a timer). Turn off the heat and carefully pour the hot oil over the aromatics, focusing on the garlic and chili peppers. Add ¼ tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp light soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp Zhenjiang black vinegar, then mix.Non-spicy option. If using a fire-roasted red pepper instead, mince it and add it to the bowl of aromatics after pouring in the hot oil.
- Boil the tofu. Cut 1 block super firm tofu lengthwise into 4 flat slabs. Add 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp baking soda to a pot with 4 cups water, or enough to submerge the flat slabs, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the slabs and keep boiling over high heat for about 7 minutes. Take the tofu out, drain it, and set it aside.
- Steam the eggplant. Bring the water in your steamer pot to a boil. Once it boils, drain the eggplant from its vinegar soak and steam over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove it promptly after 5 minutes so it doesn’t keep cooking.
- Dress the vegetables. Combine the steamed eggplant (keep the juice!) and the raw sugar snap peas in a large bowl. Pour in the sauce and gently toss.
- Assemble and serve. Plate 2 boiled tofu slabs and spoon about half of the eggplant mixture over them. Assemble the other serving the same way, or save it for another meal.
Notes
- Search for "Steamed Chinese Eggplant over Super Firm Tofu (Atypical Fare)"
- Use as is or make a swappable and adjustable copy in your account by clicking the "..." in the top right, then "Edit a Copy."
- By weight, sodium is about 39% of salt and about 27% of baking soda per the USDA. So a 1 L boil with 6 g salt and 12 g baking soda holds about 2,360 mg and about 3,280 mg of sodium, respectively, totaling 5,640 mg, or about 5.6 mg per gram of water.
- In testing, each slab gained about 6 g after boiling, resulting in an increase of 33.6 mg of sodium per quarter slab, 67.2 mg per serving (2 quarter slabs), or 134.4 mg per package.
- 134.4 mg of sodium is about 0.35 g of salt (i.e., 134.4/39%), which is added and accounted for in the Cronometer recipe.
- My hypotheses and measurements may not be complete or precise; this is for reference only.
Nutrition
Nutrition is hand-calculated using Cronometer, and should be treated as an estimate only. Values can vary based on the ingredients, brands, and quantities you use. For the most accurate results, please calculate the nutrition using the exact ingredients you use, or consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian.
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