Spicy Sweet Soy Eggplant Tofu Quail Egg Stir-fry

This recipe is a mouthful in more ways than one! Spicy Sweet Soy Eggplant Tofu Quail Egg Stir-fry will fill your belly and please all your taste buds.

Once upon a time (back in the late ’80s) we lived on the island of Borneo in the small oilfield town of Balikpapan. Borneo is owned by three countries. The tiniest bit in the northwest corner belongs to the Sultanate of Brunei and the rest falls under the jurisdiction of either Indonesia or Malaysia. Balikpapan is in the Indonesia section called Kalimantan. I had tried sweet soy sauce aka kecap manis before but that is where I fell in love.

Kecap manis, pronounced kuh-CHOP MAH-nees, is a must-have in so many Indonesian dishes. It’s soy sauce sweetened with palm sugar so it makes sense that the name translates to “sweet sauce” in English. 

In most Indonesian restaurants, a small bowl of kecap manis and chopped bird’s eye chili peppers will be on every table, just in case what you ordered didn’t have kecap manis in it but you want to add some. I usually did. 

I have hauled bottles of the ABC brand sauce in my luggage all over the world! I love it that much. It’s the key ingredient in my spicy sticky wings and my Bali spicy grilled fish.  

I came across this recipe online while searching for something to make with eggplant and tofu. As soon as I saw kecap manis in the ingredients list, I knew I had to make it. It reminded me a bit of my braised pork and egg dish and I adore that! 

Spicy Sweet Soy Eggplant Tofu Quail Egg Stir-fry

This recipe is adapted from one I found on Cookpad. The author is from Bandung, Indonesia, which is on Java, the same island as the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.  You can find kecap manis, fresh quail eggs, and fried tofu at most Asian markets. Check the refrigerated section for the latter two. 

Ingredients - serves 4

2 eggplant (approximately 1 2/3 lbs or 740g total) 

fine sea salt 

1 small onion – about 3 1/2 oz or 100g

4 cloves garlic

4 fresh red chili peppers

7 oz or 200g fried tofu - cut into cubes (I used already seasoned with lemon grass and chili) 

2 tablespoons canola or another light oil

1/3 cup or 80ml kecap manis aka sweet soy sauce

12 hard-boiled quail eggs

chopped cilantro – some for pan and some to garnish

To serve: cooked white or brown rice 

Method

Cut the eggplant into cubes (no need to peel) and put them in a colander, lightly sprinkling on sea salt as you add the cubes in layers. Set the colander in a sink (or over a large bowl) to drain. 

Meanwhile, make the onion, garlic and red chili peppers into a paste in a small food processor or mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Dry the eggplant with paper towels then fry it in batches in large nonstick skillet until the pieces are golden on all sides. Sometimes a little drizzle of oil helps this process. It depends on your non-stick skillet. 

Set the browned eggplant aside on a large plate. 

Cut the fried tofu into bite-sized pieces and repeat the pan-frying process in the same non-stick skillet. When the tofu is golden on all sides, pop it on top of the eggplant. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add in the onion/garlic/chili paste. 

Fry over a medium heat for a few minutes, until fragrant. That is to say, until it no longer smells sharply of onion and garlic. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and let it simmer for a few minutes more. 

Add in the sweet soy sauce and cook over a low heat till it’s a bit sticky looking. Stir often so it doesn’t burn. 

Add the tofu and eggplant back into the pan, along with the boiled quail eggs. 

Fold gently to coat them with the sauce and cook for a few minutes more until everything is heated through again.  Sprinkle with some chopped cilantro and stir it in gently. 

Top with more cilantro to serve. I serve this over cooked white or brown rice and put my habanero sauce on the table in case anyone would like it spicier than it already is!

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay again and our featured ingredient is the incredible edible egg! Check out the recipe links below. Many thanks to our host, Rebekah of Making Miracles!

• Ajitsuke Tamago (Ramen Eggs) from Palatable Pastime
• Baked Eggs with Parmesan and Chives Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Beet-Marbled Eggs with Feta from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Dosa Egg Sandwich Sneha's Recipe
• Egg, Ham and Cheese Crepe Pockets from Making Miracles
• Huevos Rancheros from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Huevos Rancheros Verde from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Ramen Bowls with Spinach & Poached Eggs from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Spicy Sweet Soy Eggplant Tofu Quail Egg Stir-fry from Food Lust People Love

 

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