Plant-Based Mabo Nasu (Japanese Mapo Eggplant)

Name: Plant-Based Mabo Nasu (Japanese Mapo Eggplant)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Ingredients: 200 g eggplant; 1 bowl cold water (for soaking); 1 pinch salt; 2 tbsp cashew nuts ((optional)); 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (for cooking); 2 cloves garlic (finely diced); 1 tbsp ginger root (finely diced); 1 tbsp Japanese leek (naganegi) (or regular leek, white part, finely diced); 1 tbsp chili bean sauce (toban djan); ½ tsp sugar; 1 pinch ground black pepper; 70 g soy meat (mince style); 1 tbsp sake; 1 ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu); 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (for drizzling); 300 ml vegetable bouillon; 2 tbsp water; 1 tsp cornstarch; 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice; 1 tbsp finely chopped green onions; 1 tsp chili threads (optional, to garnish)

Instructions

Prep:10minCook:20min

Mabo Nasu is a mildly spicy, flavor-packed eggplant dish influenced by Chinese cuisine. If you're already a fan of Mabo Tofu, you're gonna love this dish! I've also used all plant-based ingredients for this recipe so it can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone who loves a bit of spice!

Updated at: Fri, 26 Dec 2025 01:00:15 GMT