Vegan Sesame Tofu and Eggplant

This sesame tofu and eggplant recipe makes a wonderful light lunch, and is surprisingly vegan. The eggplant is julienned then tossed with a spicy Asian style marinade before it’s cooked down into soft noodles. The tofu slices are crusted with sesame seeds then pan seared and caramelized with soy sauce.

I love these eggplant noodles because the spongy texture allows them to soak up all of the flavors. I love zucchini noodles too, but sometimes it’s nice to use something that’s a little more like actual pasta. The best part – no special equipment needed! In my area we are having a produce shortage and I haven’t seen decent zucchini in months, so I’m glad to discover that eggplant works just as well – if not a little better.

If you’ve never cooked with tofu before then keep in mind that the firmness of tofu will matter for the recipe. I used organic firm tofu, because soft or silky would fall apart too easily. If you can find extra-firm then that would work great too.

If you hate cilantro, or don’t like spice, then feel free to leave those ingredients out.

The recipe has two components, so it will take a little time to prepare but is still relatively fast. I included instructions for keeping your keto pasta noodles warm in the oven while you fry up the tofu slices. If you plan on eating a serving and saving the rest for later, then you can skip this step.

Yields 4 servings of Vegan Sesame Tofu & Eggplant

The Preparation

• 16 ounces firm tofu
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons low-carb white sugar replacement, powdered, such as Swerve
• 458 grams eggplant
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, or coconut aminos

The Execution

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Remove the block of tofu from it’s packaging and wrap with some paper towels. Place a plate on top of it and weigh it down. I used a really large tin of vegetables in this picture, but you can use anything handy. Let the tofu sit for a while to press some of the water out.

2. Place about ¼ cup of cilantro, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and Swerve into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together.

3. Peel and julienne the eggplant. You can julienne roughly by hand like I did, or use a mandolin with a julienne attachment for more precise “noodles.” Mix the eggplant with the marinade.

4. Add the tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the eggplant until it softens. The eggplant will soak up all of the liquids, so if you have issues with it sticking to the pan, feel free to add a little bit more sesame or olive oil. Just be sure to adjust your nutrition tracking.

5. Turn the oven off. Stir the remaining cilantro into the eggplant then transfer the noodles to an oven safe dish. Cover with a lid, or foil, and place into the oven to keep warm. Wipe out the skillet and return to the stovetop to heat up again.

6. Unwrap the tofu then cut into 8 slices. Spread the sesame seeds on a plate. Press both sides of each piece of tofu into the seeds.

7. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to the skillet. Fry both sides of the tofu for 5 minutes each, or until they start to crisp up. Pour the ¼ cup of soy sauce into the pan and coat the pieces of tofu. Cook until the tofu slices look browned and caramelized with the soy sauce.

8. Remove the noodles from the oven and plate the tofu on top.

This makes a total of 4 servings of Vegan Sesame Tofu and Eggplant. Each serving comes out to be 334 calories, 27.2g fats, 5.7g net carbs, and 15.3g protein.

Vegan Sesame Tofu and Eggplant

This makes a total of 4 servings of Vegan Sesame Tofu and Eggplant. Each serving comes out to be 334 calories, 27.2g fats, 5.7g net carbs, and 15.3g protein.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Calories 334 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 16 ounce firm tofu
• 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 3 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoon low-carb white sugar replacement powdered, such as Swerve
• 458 gram eggplant
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• ¼ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 200F. Remove the block of tofu from the packaging and wrap it in paper towels. Place a plate on top to weigh it down. Let sit for a while to press some of the water out.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together one-quarter of the cilantro with the rice vinegar, half of the sesame oil, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and powdered sweetener.
• Peel and julienne the eggplant by hand or using a mandolin with a julienne attachment. Toss the eggplant in the marinade.
• Heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the eggplant until softened, adding a little bit more sesame or olive oil if it sticks to the pan. Season to taste.
• Turn off the oven. Stir the remaining cilantro into the eggplant and transfer the noodles to an oven-safe dish. Cover with a lid or foil and place the noodles in the oven to keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean and return it to the stovetop to heat up again.
• Unwrap the tofu and cut it into slices. Spread the sesame seeds out on a plate and press both sides of each piece of tofu into the seeds.
• Add the remaining sesame oil to the skillet. Fry both sides of the tofu for 5 minutes each, or until beginning to crisp up. Pour the soy sauce into the pan and coat the tofu. Cook until brown and caramelized.
• Remove the noodles from the oven and plate the tofu on top. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcalProtein: 15.3gFat: 27.2g

Keyword dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian