From bell peppers, to chili peppers, to padron peppers, to the good ol’ jalapeños, peppers are a-poppin’ everywhere. You bet I dabbled in a few of them when I visited the market this weekend!
I got the mini bell peppers from the PMA Foodservice Conference, and quite frankly, I don’t know why I’ve never bought them before. They’re perfect for those times when I just want to eat half a pepper at a time. I also love the flavor of sliced chili peppers in Asian cuisine, but again, they have never entered my kitchen. What took me so long?
By the way, quick tip: store extra chili peppers in a sealable bag in the freezer, and they’ll last for months! Learned that from a vendor.
When I was living and traveling in Asia, I ate spicy dishes all the time, and I’m feeling a bit of nostalgia for them. There’s nothing like the feeling of tongue-numbing spiciness that only a cold beer can wash away. I need to ease my tastebuds into spicy food again, and it begins with this chili stir fry.
Two chilis were enough to hit the sweet spot for me. But if you want to experience that wonderful sweat-inducing spicy sensation, I’d throw in a few more. And if you can handle 6 or more chili peppers, I would love some tips on how you are managing the spice!
Chili Eggplant Tofu Stir Fry & Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
Cauliflower Rice
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, about 1 pound/455g
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 3 basil leaves, sliced
- 1 TBS soy sauce, add more to taste
Chili Eggplant Tofu Stir Fry
- 2 TBS olive oil, divided
- 1/2 large onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
- 2 chili peppers, sliced (top removed)
- 1 large Asian eggplant, about 7.75 oz/220g, thinly sliced
- 1 1/3 cup (110g) mini bell peppers, sliced (any bell pepper works also)
- 7.5 ounces (213g) Chinese broccoli, chopped
- 8 ounces (227g) firm tofu, sliced
- 5 large basil leaves, sliced
- 1 1/2 TBS oyster sauce
- 1 tsp salt, add more to taste
Instructions
- Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces and pulse them in a food processor until it starts to form into a “rice.”
- Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the cauliflower rice and stir. After about 3-4 minutes, add the sliced basil and stir. Cook for another minute (or until the cauliflower is cooked), season with soy sauce, and remove from heat.
- Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil into another sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the fragrants: onions, ginger, garlic, and chili pepper. Stir for about 2 minutes, until the onions start to turn translucent.
- Add the eggplant and stir for a few minutes. The eggplant soaks up oil very quickly, so add another tablespoon of olive oil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the sliced bell peppers, Chinese broccoli, and tofu and cook for several more minutes. I try not to add water or cover the pan when I’m stir-frying eggplant because it softens the eggplant too much. When the Chinese broccoli turns into a bright green, season the vegetables with the oyster sauce and salt. Remove the vegetables from heat.
- Serve the vegetables with the cauliflower rice.
What are your favorite spicy dishes?
Eileen says
This sounds like such a satisfying lunch! I love the sheer volume of vegetables mixed with lots of fragrant ginger & garlic. I get tiny peppers like those at our farmer’s market — but ours are usually a bit spicy. Have you tried pickling them? SO good.
Lisa says
Thanks, Eileen! I haven’t pickled them before. That’s a great idea! Wait, so the rhyme “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” Is that the same thing? I have a whole bag full of peppers, and I’m still figuring out what to do with it. Thanks for the tip!
Danguole says
I adore anything and everything with chili peppers! Love that shot of the whole bunch. Cute.
Lisa says
Thanks, Danguole!
Whitney Reist, RD says
Have not tried cauliflower rice yet – but I think it’s about time! Will start with your recipe 🙂
Lisa says
Cauliflower rice goes well with so many things! You must give it a try, Whitney!
Brittany says
I’m a huge fan of cauliflower rice and I love the sound of this eggplant tofu stir-fry. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa says
Thanks, Brittany! Isn’t cauliflower rice fantastic?
Kelli @Hungry Hobby says
I just made a similar stir fry from all my farmbox goodies! Recently I love making salsa themed stir fry dishes instead of my go to spicy peanut!
Lisa says
Salsa-themed stir fries? That sounds amazing, Kelli!
Emily @ Zen & Spice says
I love mini peppers! I just bought a bag this weekend to snack on for lunches. And I have been seeing cauliflower rice everywhere. Must try!
Lisa says
I love eating cauliflower rice because I could season it with any spices. I’m definitely a mini pepper believer now! Add them with some hummus, and I’m in heaven!
Cassie says
So I was in yoga thinking about how I have this egg plant I need to cook and didn’t know what to do with it… now I do! Yum!
Lisa says
Haha, I love that you were thinking about food during yoga because I totally do that, too! Hope you enjoy this!