Eggplant Kabayaki

Unagi no Kabayaki is a dish made from Japanese eel, Which is trditionally marinated and grilled. It is one of the most iconic delicacies, and there are literally legends about the marinades that have been mixed in the same container for decades. However, I came across a vegetable variation of this recipe that uses eggplant instead of eel. It was the first meaningful recipe with eggplant in the central role that I had ever come across, so I decided to share it with you.

Ingredients

1 small eggplant
50 ml soy sauce
50 ml mirin
50 ml sake
1 teaspoon brown sugar starch sesame seeds spring onion nori

Preparation

1. Remove the stem from the eggplant and peel it completely. Cut it lengthwise into slices about an inch thick.
2. Use a sharp knife to make several straight longitudinal cuts in the slices, but do not cut all the way through.
3. Blanch the eggplant slices in steam for 10 minutes. Simply place the slices in a strainer, which you then place in a pot with a few centimeters of water, cover with a lid, and simmer gently.
4. Dry the blanched eggplant with paper towels and dust lightly with starch.
5. Heat a little neutral oil in a frying pan (you can also add a little sesame oil) and fry the eggplant. Fry on both sides until golden brown.
6. Finally, reduce the heat and pour the mixture of sake, mirin, and soy sauce into the pan. When it starts to boil, add the sugar. Reduce the mixture and turn the eggplant slices in it so that they brown on both sides.
7. Serve on freshly cooked rice with sesame seeds, finely chopped spring onions, and shredded nori seaweed. Use a spatula to drizzle the remaining sauce over the eggplant.