Vegan Japanese Eggplant No-Meatballs

Name: Vegan Japanese Eggplant No-Meatballs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 1 large eggplant, cut into cubes; ¼ cup old fashioned oats; 1 cup cooked rice; 1 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped; ¼ - ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, as needed; 10oz extra firm tofu, pressed and finely crumbled; 1 tsp sesame oil; 2 tsp tamari or soy sauce; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 inch piece ginger, chopped; 2 scallions/green onion, whites finely sliced; 2-3 tbsp. sunflower or peanut oil, to fry; ¼ cup mirin; ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce; 1 tsp grated ginger; 1-2 tbsp. raw sugar; ¼ cup water; cooked quinoa; thinly sliced red cabbage; thinly sliced carrots; green onion; sesame seeds

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Vegan Japanese Eggplant No-Meatballs

Recipe by GenevaWatsonCourse: Sides, AppetizersCuisine: Asian, AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

Eggplant Meatballs
1 large eggplant, cut into cubes
¼ cup old fashioned oats
1 cup cooked rice
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
¼ – ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, as needed
10oz extra firm tofu, pressed and finely crumbled
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
2 scallions/green onion, whites finely sliced
2-3 tbsp. sunflower or peanut oil, to fry
Teriyaki Sauce
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger
1-2 tbsp. raw sugar
¼ cup water
To Serve
cooked quinoa
thinly sliced red cabbage
thinly sliced carrots
green onion
sesame seeds

Directions

Add 3 inches of water to a saucepan and place eggplant cubes in a steamer. Place steamer on top of saucepan, and bring to a simmer over high heat.
Reduce heat and steam eggplant for about 10 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Once cool, transfer eggplant to a food processor. Add in cooked rice, old fashioned oats, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and tamari/soy sauce. Pulse until mixture comes together but is still slightly textured.
Pour mixture in a large bowl and add in crumbled tofu, sliced scallions, diced water chestnuts, and panko breadcrumbs. Stir to combine with a large spoon. Add more breadcrumbs as needed.
Line a large tray with wax paper and roll mixture into golf-ball sized balls. Place on prepared tray and chill for about 30 minutes.
Combine grated ginger, miring, tamari/soy sauce, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry no-meatballs, in batches of 6-8 for 6 minutes each.
Place cooked no-meatballs in a warm oven (200F/95C) while you cook the rest.
Serve with prepared teriyaki sauce over quinoa with red cabbage, carrots, green onions, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy!