Featured Comment:
“I used mushrooms instead of soy meat. I like them better than soy meat. It was very appetizing. Once again, thank you very much for this wonderful recipe.”
– Kathleen
What is Mabo Nasu?
Mabo Nasu is a rich and spicy dish made with eggplants and ground meat (usually pork) fried with aromatics such as ginger, garlic, and chili paste, simmered in a flavorful broth. This dish is a cross between a stir-fry and a soup, and its warming taste and satisfying range of ingredients make mabo nasu a true comfort dish that pairs perfectly with rice.
While mabo nasu is usually made with pork and chicken stock, I’ve chosen plant-based ingredients for this recipe. If you prefer a meatier option, check out my mapo tofu recipe here.
How I Developed This Recipe
Japanese Mabo Nasu is usually known for its rich blend of tender eggplant and savory ground pork. This time, I’ve decided to switch things up and focus on plants exclusively. I thought, why not make the eggplant the star of the show and keep everything else in the dish plant-based?
I’ve used a soy-based ground meat alternative to replace the pork. It has a great texture and absorbs all the flavors really well. The other seasonings in this recipe are also plant-based.
What did I end up with? This tasty, one-of-a-kind version of the classic spicy Mabo Nasu is both satisfying and wholesome!
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Plant-based Mabo Nasu at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Wash the eggplant, cut off each end, and then cut in half lengthways (if the eggplant is especially thick, cut into quarters lengthways). From there, cut it into rough bitesize pieces.
Fill a bowl with cold water and add a pinch of salt. Place the eggplant inside and soak for 5 minutes. This softens any bitterness and stops the eggplant from becoming discolored or absorbing too much oil during cooking.
After 5 minutes, drain the water and dry the eggplant with kitchen paper.
I crush the cashew nuts using a mortar and pestle. Feel free to chop them with a knife or crush them with a rolling pin instead.
Heat a wok on medium and add sesame oil. Once hot, add finely diced garlic cloves, fresh ginger, and a white part of a leek.
Stir fry until fragrant, and then add the chili bean sauce, sugar, and black pepper.
Add the soy meat and crushed nuts from earlier and mix.
Add sake and soy sauce and stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until the soy meat is heated through and evenly coated in the sauce.
Add the eggplant to the wok and drizzle with sesame oil. Stir fry until the eggplant has picked up some of the flavors from the sauce.
Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and bring it to a boil.
Mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl to make a slurry.
Pour the slurry into the broth and mix over the heat until it becomes thick and glossy.
Once thickened to your liking, turn off the heat and dish up!
Transfer to serving bowls and top with a sprinkle of finely chopped green onion and a bunch of chili threads.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsHow to Store
Mabo nasu is best eaten as soon as possible, but it can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Unlike mapo tofu, mabo nasu can be frozen for up to 1 month. Regular tofu doesn’t freeze well, but soy meat or TVP can be frozen with no loss of texture. Reheat from frozen in the microwave or on the stove until piping hot (no need to defrot).
Storage summary
Room temperature – Not recommended.
Refrigerated – 2-3 days.
Frozen – Up to 1 month.
I hope you enjoy this Vegan Mabo Nasu recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Plant-based Recipes
Want more inspiration? Explore my Plant-Based Recipe Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Plant-Based Mabo Nasu (Japanese Mapo Eggplant)
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
- First, wash 200 g eggplant and cut off the stems. Cut them down the middle, lengthways and then cut into rough chunks.
- Place the eggplant pieces into 1 bowl cold water and add 1 pinch salt. Leave to soak for 5 minutes, then drain the water and dry the eggplant with kitchen paper.
- Crush 2 tbsp cashew nuts . (I used a mortar and pestle but you can roughly chop them with a sharp knife or crush them with a rolling pin.)
- Heat a pan on medium and add 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil. Once hot, add 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp ginger root and 1 tbsp Japanese leek (naganegi). Fry until fragrant.
- Next, add 1 tbsp chili bean sauce (toban djan), ½ tsp sugar and 1 pinch ground black pepper to the pan and mix.
- Add 70 g soy meat and the crushed cashew nuts, and mix.
- Add 1 tbsp sake, 1 ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) to the pan and stir fry for a few minutes.
- Add the eggplant to the pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil. Stir fry until the eggplant pieces are lightly coated with the flavours from the pan and changed colour slightly.
- Next, add 300 ml vegetable bouillon and bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp cornstarch together. Pour the mixture into the pan and mix well.
- Continue to mix on the heat until the liquid thickens and reaches the desired consistency.
- Sprinkle with 1 tbsp finely chopped green onions and 1 tsp chili threads. Serve with 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice.
- Enjoy!
Hello.
Kochen macht Spaß und dank deinen Rezepten lerne ich neues in der Küche und mit Lebensmitteln.
Vielen Dank.
Es war sehr lecker! 🙂
Danke schön. Ich freue mich immer, wenn ich Ihr Foto vom Essen sehe!
Good Evening 🙂
I used mushrooms instead of soy meat.
I like them better than soy meat.
It was very appetizing.
Once again, thank you very much for this wonderful recipe.
Greetings from Kathleen- yay-
Thank you for sharing your idea and experience! Good idea! Again, thank you for sharing your picture too! Always love to see how it turns out! 🙂
Hallo.
Vielen Dank für das appetitliche Rezept.
Es war mir eine freude.
Immer wieder gerne!