Slightly spicy and incredibly flavorful, this Mapo Eggplant (Mabo Nasu) is an adaptation of Chinese food that’s very popular in Japan. Served over hot steamed rice, you’ll have a satisfying weeknight meal!
This post is sponsored by the National Pork Board.
Growing up, my mom would include her favorite eggplant in a lot of dishes, but I was never too fond of that. It wasn’t until I became an adult and cooking my own food that I started to discover a newfound love for the vegetable. And one of my absolute favorites is Mapo Eggplant (麻婆茄子). Here, the eggplants are cooked until tender and so full of flavors from the sauce.
What is Mapo Eggplant (Mabo Nasu)?
Mapo Eggplant, or what we call Mabo Nasu (麻婆茄子) in Japan, is a delicious stir-fried eggplant dish with ground pork and seasoned with a bold savory sauce.
It may remind you of Mapo Tofu, one of the most popular Sichuanese classics. The Japanese have our very own version of Mapo Tofu (my recipe here), and if you enjoy the dish, you will most certainly enjoy Mapo Eggplant. I know the combination is a bit unexpected but I promise you this dish is mouth-watering delicious.
In contrast to the Chinese variations, which go by Fish Fragrant Eggplant (魚香茄子) or Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, Japanese Mapo Eggplant is milder on the spice level, and yet it captures the savory essence with our own unique touches.
Japanese-Chinese Cooking in Japan
When Marumiya Food Industry and Ajinomoto released the vacuum-packaged Chinese sauces to the grocery shelves in the 1980s, they became the introduction of Chinese cooking to Japanese households.
Among the range of Chinese sauces packaged under CookDo, Mapo Tofu and Mapo Eggplant are the most popular choices. All you need to do is to stir fry the ingredients and pour in the sauce. Many housewives started making Japanese-style Chinese food at home because of these convenient, one pouch packages. Back then, most people did not own common Chinese condiments so the sauces were truly magical.
Since the Japanese do not eat overly spicy food, the company included miso in the Mapo seasonings and reduce the spice to create a familiar taste that suits the Japanese palate.
What You’ll Need to Make Mapo Eggplant
1. Eggplants
In Japan, we only have Japanese eggplants, so that’s what I used for this recipe. Living outside of Japan, you can definitely use Chinese long eggplants or globe eggplants.
Substitutions: Use Chinese or globe eggplants, but keep the skin and cut them into wedges. The skin will retain its shape and won’t get too mushy and disintegrate into the sauce.
2. Ground Pork
We often use ground pork in Japan, as it’s very flavorful and pairs well with eggplant and the sauce.
Substitutions: While other ground meats could be used, you want to use ground pork for the best results! The flavor and consistency of pork is unmatched for this recipe.
3. Doubanjiang (Fermented Bean Paste)
Because Japanese people are not accustomed to eating spicy food, our spice tolerance is very low. When you order Mapo Tofu or Mapo Eggplant in Japan, you probably don’t think it’s spicy at all! Don’t expect it to be anywhere near the hot spicy taste of the Sichuanese eggplant dish.
I love this Taiwanese Lian How (岡山) brand which has both Non-Spicy Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱) and Spicy Doubanjiiang (La Doubanjiang 辣豆瓣酱). If you look at the non-spicy version, the color is brown, and no sign of red chili in there. You can buy this from Asian grocery stores or Walmart.
Substitutions: Please DO NOT substitute this sauce with other bean sauce (like black bean sauce). The main flavor comes from Doubanjiang, so you will be missing out.
4. Tienmienjiang (Sweet Bean Sauce)
Tianmianjiang or sweet bean sauce is a thick, dark brown- or black-colored Chinese sauce made from wheat flour, sugar, salt, mantou, and fermented yellow soybeans.
Sweet bean sauce can be found in typical Asian supermarkets under various English names. It might be easier to look for the Chinese name written as 甜麵醬.
Substitutions: I don’t know what would be the best substitute for this. For this recipe, I would just skip it if you can’t find one and add a bit more Doubanjiang.
5. Miso (Soybean Paste)
Miso is the one ingredient that defines the Japanese-style Mapo Eggplant and Mapo Tofu. It lends plenty of umami and depth to the sauce.
Substitutions: Some of you may ask if you can substitute with Doenjang (Korean soybean paste), but I don’t think it’s suitable. I’m hoping that you have miso in your fridge already, and if you don’t, I highly recommend getting one to make many of my miso recipes! There are endless uses for miso in Japanese cooking.
6. Aromatics
Fresh ginger, garlic, and green onions are the holy grails of Asian cooking. Without these aromatics, your dishes will be lackluster.
Substitutions: No substitution, they are essential in flavoring the dish. Dried ginger and garlic won’t live up to the fresh ones.
How to Make Mapo Eggplant
It might seem tricky with all the steps, but it’s really simple.
- Cut eggplants, coat them with potato/cornstarch, and then pan-fry.
- Cook the aromatics and ground pork.
- Add the seasonings and broth.
- Return the eggplant to the pan.
- Add the slurry sauce and garnish with green onions.
The best part about this Mapo Eggplant recipe besides the amazing taste? It only takes less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish!
Your New Favorite Weeknight Stir Fry Dinner
Bursting with the subtlety of complex flavors, this Japanese Mapo Eggplant makes a fine weeknight dinner when eaten with steamed rice. I can’t get enough of the buttery tender eggplant and the deeply flavored sauce. When I cook it, it transports me back to my mom’s dinner table in Japan and brings back lots of wonderful memories.
To make it a complete meal, you can also serve Mapo Eggplant as a main dish, accompanied by pickled cabbage, miso soup, and a simple salad.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Mapo Eggplant (Mabo Nasu)
Ingredients
- 10 oz Japanese eggplants (2-3 eggplants; each eggplant is usually 5 oz or 142 g; Using a glob eggplant? See the instruction.)
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 1 knob ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp potato starch/cornstarch (for coating eggplant)
- ⅓ cup oil (for frying eggplant)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil (roasted) (for stir-frying)
- 3.5 oz ground pork
Slurry Mixture
- 1 Tbsp potato/cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
Seasonings
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean sauce/broad bean paste) (You can definitely increase the amount if you like it spicy)
- 1 tsp tienmienjiang (sweet bean sauce) (Substitute it with 1 tsp Doubanjiang)
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth
- 1 tsp miso
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Discard the ends of the eggplants. Cut them in halves widthwise and then cut into wedges. If you are using the globe eggplant (please know that its skin is tougher than one of the Japanese or Chinese eggplants), cut it into pieces that can have skin so it holds the flesh. Without skin, the eggplant will lose its shape and gets mushy.
- Wedges should be an equal size for even cooking. Soak them in water for 5 minutes to remove astringency.
- Cut the green onions where they separate white and green parts. Cut each part into thin rounds and keep them separated.
- Cut the ginger into thin slices, then julienne, and finally mince them. You will need heaping 1 tsp (or up to you).
- Mince the ginger (or use a garlic press to mince the garlic).
- Transfer the eggplant to a tray/plate, and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle potato starch/cornstarch and coat well. You don't want to see any moisture on eggplant because it will splash in the oil.
- To make the slurry mixture, combine potato starch/cornstarch and water in a measuring cup. Mix well and set aside. You will need to remix the mixture again right before pouring.
- In a large frying pan, heat ⅓ cup oil on the medium-high heat (or the medium on a professional stove). Add the eggplant in a single layer or fry in batches if the eggplant overlaps.
- Pan-fry the eggplant until golden brown and transfer to a plate.
- The oil used for frying eggplant should be all absorbed by the eggplant. Heat the sesame oil on medium heat (medium-low on the professional stove) and add garlic and ginger.
- Stir fry until they are fragrant. Then add the pork and increase the heat to medium-high (medium on the professional stove).
- When the pork is 80% cooked, add sake and stir.
- Add the white part of green onions, Doubanjiang, and Tienmienjiang and stir well to combine. Be careful not to let the sauce get burnt. If the heat is too strong, lower it a bit.
- Add the chicken broth.
- Add miso, sugar, and soy sauce.
- Bring it to simmer and add the eggplant.
- Coat the eggplant with the sauce and slowly drizzle the slurry mixture.
- Bring it to simmer and check the consistency of the sauce. If it's too loose, let the moisture evaporate. If the sauce is too thick, you can drizzle a small amount of water to loosen up. When the consistency is good, drizzle rice vinegar over the sauce to finish it up.
- Add the green part of green onions right before serving. Serve over steamed rice in a bowl or on a plate by itself. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can store in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3-4 weeks.
I saw this in on Instagram this morning and knew that I had to try it out and my family are very happy that I did.
It gets a resounding 10/10 from the whole family! I had to omit Tienmienjiang as I’m gluten free but that didn’t negatively impact the flavour at all (well I don’t think so, I guess I’ll never know!).
The overall taste was a little mild for some family members, but we sorted that out with an extra dollop of Doubanjiang when we served it for those that wanted it, but the rest of the family were very happy with the spice level.
This will be added to the regular rotation – thankyou for another great recipe!
Hi Nicole,
Thank you very much for checking us on Instagram!
We are so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this dish!
Thank you for your kind feedback!
Love eggplant, but I wish there was a way of printing your recipes.
I have a question about SHISO – how many ways can I use it?
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes… like traveling to Japan…Almost.
Best
celeste
Hi Celeste,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
You can print this recipe by clicking the “PRINT” under the photo on the recipe card. (near ingredients list)
As for Shiso, if you use the “SEARCH + PRESS ENTER” box and enter Shiso, you can see the list of the recipes that use shiso.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=shiso
We hope this helps!☺️
Hi Nami!
I can’t seem to find non spicy doubanjiang. I can’t prepare it spicy either as I have a 3 yr old eating this with us. If I skip doubanjiang and increase the amount of tienmienjiang, would this work? Thank you!
Hi Jacqueline, As Nami mentioned in this post, the main flavor comes from Doubanjiang, so that you will be missing out on the flavor 😞… Did you try an online store?
This looks incredible! I’ve made Mapo Eggplant/Tofu in the past but always by using the prepackaged sauce packet. Its great to see the ingredients from scratch. I can’t wait to make this, my mouth is already watering! Hope you and your family have all been doing well during this time.
Hi Adrian,
Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback! We hope you would like this recipe too.
Please stay healthy and safe during this difficult time!
This was amazingly good as well as easy. I made it with ground Turkey as I could not find ground pork at any of our local stores. A REAL WINNER that we will repeat often!!!!
Hi Nancy!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear it turned out great for you and enjoy the dish!😊
I made this recipe for a reluctant family and they loved it! It will be a good one for our regular rotation. A couple of things I would change for my kids:
1. double the recipe
2. when doubling the recipe, I’d add more ground pork, closer to a pound
3. cut the eggplant a bit smaller (maybe half the size)
Hi Rita,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
We are so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this dish.
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience and tips for us!☺️
I cooked this for tonight’s dinner. In addition to eggplants I added soft tofu as well since it was available. It was simply delicious!
Hi John,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so yummy! A little spicy but also so good! I have to admit that I messed up on the steps but it still came out great in my opinion lol. 😄 Thanks again Nami for another amazing recipe!
Hi Mariko!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed this dish! Please feel free to adjust the spiciness for your liking next time.😉
I found a gigantic and long eggplant at our local veggie shop and made this dish. This was so good and easy to make. I paired it with cauliflower “rice”. Next time I’ll add more doubanjian to increase the spiciness. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi JD,
We are so glad to hear you found the eggplant at your local veggie shop and had a chance to try this dish!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
what can i use instead of sake if i don’t have any at home? can I use chinese cooking wine instead? Thanks! BTW, i love all your recipes especially all your dessert recipes.
Hi Anne, Sure, you can substitute with Chinese cooking wine. Thank you for trying many recipes!
Will grilling the eggplant works instead of pan frying it? Eggplant absorbs oil and I am trying to reduce oil content in my dishes. Any advise Nami san ?
Hi Lee, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We have never tried grilling this before. But we think it will work as well. Please let us know how it goes!😊
Thanks! It works well with grilled eggplant too. I think the 2 table spoon of the vinegar really change the taste of the sauce and make it really nice. Thanks again for sharing the recipe. I only starts cooking more from mid last year during the covid pandemic and your recipe is easy to follow and very tasty.
Hi Lee! Wow, Great! Thank you very much for sharing your cooking experience with us! And we are glad to hear you enjoyed many recipes from our website, and it was easy to follow and tasty!🥰 Happy Cooking!
Hello Nami, I just prepped and cooked this dish for dinner later tonight. It’s delicious. However, when I fried the eggplant, it absorbed all the oil quickly and then stuck to the pan. I have this sticking problem whenever I fry eggplant. Any advice to avoid this (aside from using a nonstick pan, which I don’t own)?
Hi Janet! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the dish.
To avoid the sticking problem for the not non-stick pan, we recommend doing a little prep for your pan before you start cooking.
Add oil to the clean pan and then let it heat up over medium heat until you see the smoke (you can add a little bit of green onion/onion if you want to avoid the smoke) and whip off the excess oil (and green onion) from the pan. Now your pan will work like a nonstick pan, and you can follow Nami’s recipe. We hope this trick will work for you!
Thank you so much for responding and sharing this tip! I never knew about this technique. I will give it a try next time.
You are welcome, Janet!☺️