Aubergine and black bean sauce with tofu mince
Aubergine and black bean sauce with tofu mince
This happened while we were doing our afternoon walkie-talkie through St. Annes Park in Dublin, and trying to decide what to do for supper. The idea of using burnt aubergine flesh as the base of a pasta sauce was intriguing, and as luck would have it – it’s DELICIOUS!
The onions snuck in there because, lets be honest, caramelized onions just go so well with everything, and we needed a little something extra to get it off the ground.
This was set up as a pasta sauce, but it’s robust enough to cover almost any starch or base of your choice – try baking some whole spuds with the aubergine, breaking them open and stuffing them!
The tofu “mince” is incredibly versatile, and can be used to top off almost anything – kinda like a semi-crispy scrambled egg. A proteus that adapts silently to anything you put it with, it adds texture, protein and a subtle, nutty flavour which compliments most savoury dishes.
Aubergine and black bean sauce with tofu mince
Ingredients
- Tagliatelle Or other starch of choice, cooked according to taste
- 2 medium-large aubergines
- 250 g Firm tofu, minced with a fork
- Salt, black pepper, lime juice
- 3 red onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp black bean paste or sauce Available from Asian grocery stores
- 3 tbsp Naturally brewed soya sauce We use kikkoman low-salt, which is excellent. If using regular, then add less extra salt.
- Chopped spring onions
- Tahini
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to the hottest it can go. Prick the aubergines to stop them exploding (only needs to happen to you once) and bang them in the oven for 40 minutes or so, or until charred and burnt outside.
- Get your pasta into the microwave (or however you like to do it), or get cracking on whatever your starch of choice is.
- Mix the tofu mince with salt, black pepper and lime juice until seasoned properly, then spray down a non-stick frying pan and add the mince. Press flat, then fry until golden, flip as best as you can and fry the other side. You won't be able to flip it perfectly, and thats ok.
- Remove the tofu and set aside. Add and fry the onions for ages, covering when not stirring, until golden and caramelized. You'll need to add more water along the way – use the pasta water (if you've made pasta) because the starch helps the whole lot to stick together, otherwise regular water is fine. Throw in a teaspoon of sugar as well to help it all along.
- Once the onions are looking soft and brown (about 20-30 minutes), add the ginger, garlic, soya sauce, bean sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper, along with some more liquid, just enough to keep the whole lot moving and sticky. Keep cooking on a low heat. Remove the aubergines from the oven when done, then split in half and scoop out the flesh into the onion pan, breaking up the large bits. Cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat until the excess aubergine water has evaporated and the sauce is at a consistency of your liking, then taste and adjust salt, pepper and lime juice. Sprinkle the tofu on top of the aubergines, then top with the spring onions and a drizzle of tahini and serve on your pasta.
