This spicy eggplant pad makhuea is a Thai stir-fry loaded with heat, sweet basil, and rich, savory sauce. With tofu for protein and plenty of fresh vegetables, it’s a bold, plant-based dish best served hot over rice.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) tamari
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) mushroom stir-fry sauce
- 2 tbsp (28 g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp soybean paste taojeaw
- 8 tbsp (120 ml) vegetable oil divided, plus more as needed
- 8 oz (228 g) firm tofu cut into 1" (2.5-cm) squares
- 2 long Chinese eggplant cut into 1" (2.5-cm)-thick rounds
- 4 Thai chiles finely chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ½ yellow onion cut into 1" (2.5-cm) squares
- ½ red bell pepper cut into 1" (2.5-cm) squares
- ½ green bell pepper cut into 1" (2.5-cm) squares
- 1 cup (128 g) sliced carrot
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable broth
- 2 green onions cut into 2" (5-cm) lengths
- 2 handfuls of Thai sweet basil
Instructions
- To make the sauce, combine the tamari, mushroom stir-fry sauce, brown sugar and soybean paste in a small bowl and mix until well combined and the sugar has dissolved.
- Heat 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of the oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the tofu for 3 minutes on each side until all the sides are golden brown.
- Remove from the pan and drain. If needed, add more oil to the pan and fry the eggplant on each side for about 3 minutes or until both sides are golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain well.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oil to a clean pan over medium heat, add the chiles and garlic and fry until golden brown, about 10 seconds.
- Add the onion, red and green bell peppers, carrot and vegetable broth and cook, stirring, until well combined and the vegetables have softened, about 1 minute.
- Add the fried tofu, fried eggplant, green onions and basil, season with the sauce mixture and stir for 30 seconds to heat through.