Healthy Mapo Eggplant with Tofu

• 3 Eggplants
• 1/3 Carrot
• 1/2 block Firm tofu
• 1/3 Japanese leek
• 1 piece Ginger
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Doubanjiang
• 1 dash Sansho pepper powder (or sansho peppercorns)
• 1 tsp Chicken soup stock granules
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 1 tbsp Tian mian jiang (Chinese sweet bean paste)
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp Oyster sauce
• 200 ml Boiling water
• 1 tbsp + more to finish Sesame oil
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 Katakuriko slurry
• 1 Green onions (to finish)

1. Wrap the tofu in paper towels, put on a heatproof dish and microwave for 2 minutes.
2. Drain off the excess moisture completely.
3. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 4 to 8 slices.
4. Soak the slices in water for about 5 minutes then drain well, and pat dry well with paper towels.
5. Finely chop the leek, ginger and garlic.
6. Thinly slice the green onion you'll be using as topping too.
7. Cut the carrot in half lengthwise, then slice thinly diagonally.
8. Combine the ingredients together.
9. Heat up 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a wok or frying pan.
10. Add the well drained tofu, and scramble with several cooking chopsticks held together.
11. Keep scrambling and stir-frying the tofu over medium heat, until the texture resembles ground meat.
12. Add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and stir-fry quickly.
13. Remove from the pan.
14. Wipe out the pan, add some vegetable oil and heat up again.
15. Add the eggplant and stir-fry over medium heat.
16. When the eggplant is wilted and has started to brown, take it out.
17. Heat up the pan again, add all the ingredients and stir-fry over medium heat.
18. When it's fragrant add the carrot and continue stir-frying.
19. When the carrot has wilted, re-add the cooked tofu and eggplant and stir-fry quickly.
20. Add the combined ingredients and simmer over low heat for about 2 minutes.
21. When the sauce has reduced a bit, add some katakuriko dissolved in water to thicken the sauce.
22. Swirl in some sesame oil to finish.
23. Transfer to serving plates, top with the green onions and it's done.
24. If you like it more spicy, you can drizzle on some ra-yu spicy sesame oil.

eggplants, carrot, tofu, ginger, clove garlic, doubanjiang, sansho pepper, chicken soup stock granules, sake, mian jiang, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, vegetable oil, soy sauce, slurry, green onions

Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/169732-healthy-mapo-eggplant-with-tofu (may not work)