Japanese Eggplant Recipes

Steps:

• Combine Soy sauce, mirin, crushed garlic and ginger in a bowl.
• Slice your eggplant thinly and into small pieces.
• Toss eggplant in hot pan (I use a spray oil like Pam) with the sauce mixture.
• Sauté at a medium heat until very tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add a little water to keep the veg moist if necessary.
• Great as a side dish for fish or chicken.
• Add diced medium firm tofu or any other protein for a very simple, quick meal.

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a large shallow baking dish. Mix together the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the eggplant and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat grill. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper to taste and grill on each side for 3 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade. Serve topped with the toasted sesame seeds.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Peel the eggplant and place in a roasting pan or dish. Coat eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and light golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• While the eggplant cooks, hand-crush the tomato in a medium bowl and add garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining olive oil and thyme sprigs. Stir to combine.
• When eggplant is tender and light golden brown, add tomato mixture to the roasting pan, and roast for another 10 minutes.
• Scatter with pecorino and roast for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Transfer to a serving dish, including the pan drippings, and serve hot.

Steps:

• Place olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until garlic is evenly browned. Remove from heat and transfer garlic to a large bowl. Add moro miso and whisk until combined; set aside.
• Cut eggplants on the bias, starting at one end, and alternating the direction of the bias with each cut, forming triangular shapes. Cut each triangular piece in half again.
• Add enough grapeseed oil to a large skillet to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat and add eggplant. Fry eggplant until outside is crispy and center is soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Squeeze limes over eggplant and transfer to a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons miso mixture and shiso leaves, keeping any remaining miso mixture in an airtight container, refrigerated up to 3 days. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
• Slice eggplant into 1-inch thick slices, then quarter the slices. Chop onion in half, then quarter the halves.
• Place eggplant and onion on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss with your hands until well coated.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and tender, about 40 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Steps:

• Score Asian eggplants lenthwise every half inch. (If using regular eggplant, cut off ends and then cut remainder into 1" cubes, but do no peel.).
• Put all ingredients in a sturdy pot and stir to coat.
• Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so that eggplant cooks thoroughly (until it becomes tender).
• Serve hot or cold.

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant into 1 to 2-inch segments, depending on the width of the eggplant. Set up a steamer on the stovetop. Season the segments with salt. Place the eggplant in the steamer in a single layer and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Cool on paper towels.
• For the vinaigrette, trim the garlic cloves and mash gently with the side of your knife, then finely chop the garlic. Peel and chop the ginger root.
• Trim and slice the scallion on a bias. Save the white part for the vinaigrette and the green part for a finishing garnish. Keep the greens fresh by covering them with a moist, cool paper towel. Chop the cilantro.
• To assemble the vinaigrette, put the three oils and the Sichuan peppercorns in a small pot set over low heat. Heat until sizzling, then strain out the peppercorns. Discard the peppercorns and put the oil back into the pot. Add the garlic and ginger and heat until sizzling but not browned. Add the scallion whites and Sichuan bean paste and stir. Add the black vinegar, soy, mirin, wine, sugar, sesame seeds and cilantro and bring to a boil.
• Transfer the vinaigrette to a bowl and cool. Put the eggplant in a serving dish and season with the cooled sauce (depending on eggplant size, you may not need all the sauce-the sauce keeps for a week refrigerated) and sprinkle with the scallion greens. Finish with freshly ground black pepper, if you'd like a little more peppercorn flavor.