← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 3 Japanese or Chinese aubergines (about 350 g)
• 500 ml neutral oil, for frying
• 180 ml Dashi powder or stock
• 3 tbsp Mirin
• 2 tbsp Sake
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 5 cm piece Daikon radish, finely grated and lightly squeezed
• 1 tsp Ginger, finely grated
• 1 Spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 handful Bonito flakes (optional)

Method

1. Bring the broth ingredients to the boil in a small pan, simmer for 1 minute, then pour into a shallow dish.
2. Halve the aubergines lengthwise and score the skin finely on the diagonal, then cut into 5 cm pieces. Pat them dry so the oil does not spit.
3. Heat 2–3 cm of oil in a frying pan to 180°C (355°F). Fry the aubergine in batches, skin side down first, for 2–3 min until the flesh is soft and the skin is a vivid purple.
4. Drain for a few seconds on paper, then drop the hot pieces straight into the broth; they soak it up best while hot.
5. Leave to soak for 30 min, or chill for longer and serve cold.
6. Serve in the broth, topped with grated daikon, ginger, spring onion and bonito flakes.

Tips

• Use kombu dashi and skip the bonito for a vegetarian version.
• Kabocha slices, okra, sweet peppers and green beans can be fried and soaked the same way.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook Chopstick Chronicles Japanese Cooking 101