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Aubergines & Tofu in Blackbean Sauce

Aubergine in Black Bean Sauce

This is an easy to follow crowd pleaser that's nutritious and tasty. Uses easy to obtain ingredients - especially if you have a Chinese mini-market near you.
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese

Equipment

  • 1 Mediterranean casserole or large oven proof pan Essential item.
  • 1 Tefal Actifry or similar airfryer Not essential, but makes this dish so much quicker and easier.

Ingredients
  

  • 3 medium red/orange peppers 500g
  • 1000 g 3 small or 2 large aubergines
  • 4 finger chillies – more if you like it hot.
  • 500 g firm tofu – a whole pack from a Chinese shop - cubed and fried in Actifry
  • 4 packets of black bean sauce (2 serving packs by Blue Dragon or similar)
  • 20 g Extra dry black beans fermented soya beans –Chinese supermarket NOT ordinary black/turtle beans
  • 450 g onions. (2 medium onions)
  • 40 g Good thumb of ginger – nice large piece
  • 40 g garlic. (20-40g)
  • 40 g Rapeseed oil as necessary
  • 2 tsps. of Stock powder
  • 1 level tsp onion powder
  • 1 level tsp garlic powder
  • 1 TBSP of soy sauce
  • 1 dash Good dash of chilli sauce
  • 1 bunch Spring onions
  • 30 g Corriander a small bunch usually

Instructions
 

  • Cut peppers into largish squares – 9 per half pepper approx.) then cook peppers & finely chopped chillies in Actifry for around 10 minutes with ½ green spoon of oil.
  • Then cut aubergines lengthways, radially, then into smallish chunks. Fry in the Actifry (or wok) – around 14-15 minutes (whole green spoon of oil) – they need to look pretty well cooked or they will be chewy.
  • Then cube the tofu – slice all of the blocks in half so you have 2 large slices, then into 12. Put in Actifry with spoonful of oil, plenty of soy sauce, heaped teaspoon of garlic powder and heaped of onion powder, some chilli sauce too possibly ground ginger and set for 12 minutes.
    tofu plus spices in Actifry
  • Meanwhile slice onions into large squares – (in half, then into 4/5 segments lengthways, then 3 or 4 the other way) and sauté gently in the Mediterranean casserole with the finely diced garlic and ginger until browning nicely.
    onions and spring onions & garlic in pan
  • When nice and translucent and soft, add in the peppers, chillies, dried black beans and aubergines and cook on lowish heat for 5 minutes stirring
    adding in the peppers & aubergines
  • add in the black bean sauce and possibly a little water if the sauce is very thick. Mix well.
    adding in the black bean sauce
  • Then add in tofu a stir some more until nicely mixed. At this stage, you need to add in the stock powder, onion powder etc and adjust the strength of taste to your liking if necessary.
    adding in the sauteed spiced tofu
  • Add enough water so it’s the right consistency – a fluid but still moderately sticky ensemble – needs enough sauce to blend and to go well with the rice or other accompaniment.
  • Put in oven for around 20 - 30 minutes on around 150°C – It may help to brown the aubergines if you uncover the dish at say 150°C for about 10 mins right at the end. Don’t overcook.
    finished tofu & black bean dish

Notes

  • This is a dish that goes well with stir fried Chinese leaves, beansprouts, spring onions, soy sauce, ginger, garlic & Chinese 5 spice.
  • It tastes even better if you keep it for a 7 days in the fridge and re-heat to have again.
  • I even like it with hummus!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!