Skip to main content
Recipes
June 2022

Sizzling Pork and Eggplant Hiyayakko

By Kendra Vaculin

4.7

(22)

plater of pork and eggplant place over a blue towl
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.

Hiyayakko is a Japanese warm-weather starter or side dish made of a small square of chilled silken tofu, a sprinkling of toppings, and saucy drizzles (think a heap of bonito flakes and puddle of soy sauce, or fresh tomatoes with ponzu). In this version the simple template goes family-style, with sliced silken tofu carefully shingled on a platter, topped with a savory ground pork and eggplant stir-fry. The combination of cold, custardy tofu and hot, saucy pork is exactly what I want on a summer weeknight, spooned into bowls and showered with tons of farmers market basil. —Kendra Vaculin

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2

16-oz. packages silken tofu

3

Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

2

medium Chinese or Japanese eggplant (about 8 oz. total), cut into 3"-long pieces, quartered lengthwise

1

lb. ground pork

2

red Thai chiles, thinly sliced

4

garlic cloves, finely grated

1

2" piece ginger, scrubbed, finely grated

1

Tbsp. sugar

1

Tbsp. fish sauce

4

Tbsp. soy sauce, divided

3

Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, divided

Basil leaves (for serving)

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Wrap tofu in a few layers of paper towels to absorb moisture; place on a plate. Chill until ready to use.

    Step 2

    Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook eggplant, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

    Step 3

    Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet. Cook pork, breaking up meat, 1 minute. Add chiles, garlic, ginger, and sugar and cook, stirring and continuing to break up meat into small pieces, until pork is no longer pink and mixture is fragrant, about 4 minutes.

    Step 4

    Return eggplant to skillet; add fish sauce, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar. Cook, stirring often, until liquid is mostly absorbed and eggplant is browned and tender, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and remaining 1 Tbsp. vinegar and cook, stirring, until mixture is slightly saucy, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

    Step 5

    Carefully unwrap tofu; slice crosswise ½”-thick. Shingle tofu on a platter. Spoon eggplant mixture over; top with basil.

Explore Bon AppétitDinnerMainQuickEasyWeeknight MealsHealthyishStir-FryNut-FreeDairy-FreeJapaneseEast AsianAsian