Five appetizers お通し５品

This is a plate of 5 appetizers to start the evening. Nothing particularly new but several good small dishes with quite a variety. Because of the ponzu in the eggplant dish and “ikura” salmon roe with qual eggs, we chose cold sake.

#1 Spicy (not really) marinated firm tofu ピリ辛豆腐. I usually do not get firm tofu but they did not have any other kind at the grocery store this week. I used the same marinade (soy sauce, sriracha, grated ginger and garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar and mirin). The only variation is I coated the tofu with a mixture of AP flour and potato starch before frying. This worked well producing a crunchy crust and well seasoned center which was not too firm.

#2 Salmon kelp roll  鮭の昆布巻き. I started making this not just for New Years. This is a great appetizer We can keep it for some time in the refrigerator. It can also be reheated to last longer and with a good quality kelp (Hodaka kelp 日高昆布) which I recently got, this tastes better than before.

$3 Cold marinated eggplant 冷製レンジ茄子のポン酢漬け. This is an easier eggplant dish to make since the egg plant is cooked in the microwave oven. The bonito flakes 鰹節 topping is a must.

#4 Eggplant and shiitake stir fry with oyster sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め. The addition of chopped fresh perilla leaves really makes this dish. Enjoying with a small perilla leaf adds to it.

#5 Marinated boiled quail eggs with pickled cucumber and ikura salmon roe 味付けウズラの茹卵. The quail eggs are served warm (skewered and heated up in the toaster oven). We boil fresh quail eggs rather than use canned eggs. Quail eggs have large yolks relative to the overall size of the egg. In addition the yolks have a very creamy texture even when the egg is completely cooked which we really like.

Even though these dishes are quite small they add up and are fairly filling. They are a great way to start the evening meal. 

Stir-fried Eggplant and Shiitake in Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め

This is another variation of stir-fried eggplant to which this version is very similar but I skipped a few steps to make it easier and quicker. Since we got very good fresh shiitake mushrooms which were very thick, I added to this to the stir-fry. It is difficult to see which is the eggplant and which is shiitake (Picture #1) visually but when tasting it, the differences becomes clear. The addition of the shiitake makes this dish more interesting than just eggplant. Thick, fresh shiitake almost tastes like meat. Perilla and ginger add their distinct flavors.

Ingredients: (about makes 8 small servings like seen in picture #1).
2 Japanese (Asian) eggplants (picture #2), each weighed about 110-115 grams, stem ends removed and cut into a large bite size by cutting on bias as you roll 45 degrees (“ran-giri” 乱切り)
2 fresh shiitake, large and thick, stems removed and cut into a similar size large chunks
1/2 tsp ginger root, peeled, and julienned, 
5-7 perilla leaves, finely chopped
1 tbs vegetable oil (I used peanut oil) with a splash or dark sesame oil

Seasonings:
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tbs soy sauce (I used x4 Japanese noodle sauce)
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tbs Shiaoxing wine (optional)
1/3 cup chicken broth, low sodium

Directions:
In a wok, add the oil on medium high flame. When the oil is shimmering add the eggplants. Starting from the skin side cook/brown for several minutes turning as needed.
Add the shiitake and cook 2-3 minutes more.
Add the ginger and stir.
Add the wine and broth (careful it may ignite).
When the liquid starts boiling, turn down the flame to medium and add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
Reduce the liquid a bit and add the perilla.
Check the seasoning and adjust

The combination of eggplant and shiitake work every well together with nice umami reminiscent of a meat dish. The addition of the perilla adds a nice bright taste which provides a good contrast. 

Dassai 45 and Dassai blue comparison 獺祭45とDassai Blue 50 の飲み比べ

“Dassai” 獺祭 is a well known and popular sake in Japan and US. We like it for its very clean, fruity flavors. We used to get  “Dassai 50” daiginjo 獺祭50大吟醸. But the Dassai 50 is not sold any more. It was replaced by “Dassai 45” in 2019 (In Dassai 50, the sake rice is polished to 50% of the original volume, in Dassai 45, it is polished to 45%).  We learned that Dassai (brewed by Asahi Sake Brewery 朝日酒造 in Yamaguchi 山口県) established a sake brewery in Hyde Park, NY some years ago. However, this is the first time we obtained several bottles of  the NY-brewed sake “Dassai Blue 50”.  Interestingly, Dassai Blue is labeled as “Type 50”. I assume that indicates 50% polish like the old Dassai 50. My understanding based on an article I read,  was that they used imported Japanese “Yamada Nishiki” 山田錦 sake rice. But another source of information (again, not their website) indicated the rice is grown in Arkansas. (Further more, I would have to wonder what water source* they are using in the brewing; NY tap water, Hudson river water, or Hyde Park artesian well water???) In any case, one evening we compared Dassai blue and Dassai 45 (picture #1).

*One on-line store website indicates the sauce of the water is a “local well”. But again, this is unofficial information.

The Dassai Blue, when first tasted, has a definitive tingling/prickly sensation on the tip of the tongue. It is like very lightly effervescent. Then comes a very subtly sweet and Dassai signature fruity taste.  As it sits in the glass, the tingling character diminishes indicating indeed this might be the effervescence. The “Dassai Blue” label indicated “keep refrigerated”. I wonder if the label “keep refrigerated” means, “Blue”may be  “Nama” sake 生酒** or not heat-treated and slight fermentation happened in the bottle producing the effervescence. (Again no details are available from the brewery and these are all our conjuncture).

**Another unofficial information indicated “Blue” only had one “hi-ire” 火入れ heat-treatment instead of  usual  two (after pressing and bottling).

The Dassai 45 is a classic Dassai, clean, fruity and smooth in the mouth—no effervescence or tingly sensation.

Which one do we like better? It is hard to say. Dassai Blue’s tingling sensation is not unpleasant (we had similar effervescence in other “non-sparkling” sake). According to the label (picture #2), they are aiming to surpass Dassai brewed in Japan but not just to reproduce it. We can certainly enjoy either Dassai.

To enjoy sake, we need some “otsumami” おつまみ appetizers. For Dassai tasting, I served warm chawam-mushi with ginko nuts, shrimp, shiiitake mushroom and the garnish was our home grown fresh “mitsuba” 三つ葉 which added a nice unique flavor (left in picture #3). The center is eggplant, shiitake and wood ear mushroom brased in oyster sauce and ginger 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め. The right is garlic chive “ohitashi” ニラのお浸し topped with golded thread omelet.

In the past we tried a few US brewed sake and Dassai Blue in definitely one of the best. Only one which is in the same class is “Sho-Chiku-Bai” daiginjou 松竹梅大吟醸 brewed from California-grown “Yamada Nishiki” sake rice. But these two cannot be compared in the same way. Sho-Chiku-Bai was produced in very limited quantity, is not readily available and has a much higher price point. On the other hand, the Dassai Blue 50 is very reasonably priced and relatively widely available.

Shrimp Shumai 海老焼売

This is my third attempt at making “shumai” 焼売 dumplings.  In the previous 2 attempts the dumplings fell apart when I cooked them and I ended up with cooked ground meat and separated dumpling skins which served almost as pasta. This time, everything worked. The dumplings held together and I made some decent shumais. I made this for a lunch and served them with pickled daikon, cucumber, blanched sugar snaps, braised burdock root きんぴらゴボウ (kinpira), pumpkin salad (curry flavored) and braised eggplant in miso sauce. I served the shumais with Japanese hot mustard and a mixture of rice vinegar and soy sauce (picture #1). The wonton skin stayed with the filling. The filling was the combination of shrimp and chicken with minced onion and garlic chive which worked well.

The shumais are rather large and cutting them in half made it easier to eat (picture #2). I left some shrimp in large pieces (they can be seen in the cut surface toward the top.

Ingredients: (made 20 shumais)
Shrimp about 100g, thawed and hand chopped making a mixture of finely chopped and small chunks
Ground chicken 150g (this was breast meat)
1 Onion, small. finely chopped
4-5 stalks of garlic chives, finely chopped (optional)
20 Wonton skins

Seasonings:
2 tsp potato starch
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tbs Shaoxing wine (optional)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp grated ginger

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients for filling (except the wonton skin) and the seasonings in a bowl, mix well.

I tried three different ways to assemble shumai:
1. Place the skin on your palm and spread the filling using a silicon spatula  leaving only the rims of the skin. Inverse it on the tip of the spatula and squeeze to foam shumai.
2. place the balls of filling on the cutting board and place the skin on the top. Using five fingers, squeeze the skin around the ball of the filling and pick it up and form shumai, and
3. Place the skin on your palm and spread water using a finger and then place the ball of filling. Squeeze to make shumai. 

For all three methods, make sure the bottom is flattened and the tip of the shumai is squeezed to make it narrower than the bottom (#1 and #2 in the composite picture). This time, all three methods worked and the skin did not separate from the filling. I am not sure why this was. In any case, place the shumai in the steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes (#3 and #4 in the composite picture).

This was a success! The addition of shrimp (combination of finely chopped and small chunks worked well adding taste, and texture).  I added garlic chives since I had some fresh ones from Weee. They did not add much flavor but added nice green specks (picture #2). I served this with Japanese hot mustard and a mixture of rice vinegar and soy sauce (picture #1).

Braised Eggplant with Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め

This is an impromptu dish I put together to use the last eggplant we got recently from Weee. I also had a high-quality fresh shiitake mushroom also from Weee. This turned out to be quite good and my wife really liked it. I cut the eggplant a bit larger than I usually do, which made the eggplant tender but not too soft.  The thick shiitake mushroom I added, tasted almost like meat. This is not a recipe but a note to myself so that I can reproduce it.

Ingredients:
One Asian eggplant, stem end removed, cut into bite size chunks (“rangiri” 乱切り cut on bias, turn 90 degree and cut again)

3-4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, cut into 4-6 large chunks
1 tbs juliennes of fresh ginger
1 tbs vegetable oil with a splash of dark roasted sesame oil

Seasonings
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1-2 tbs sake or water

Garnish (optional)
Sesame seeds for garnish
Scallions, finely chopped

Directions:
Add the oil in the drying pan on medium heat wait until the oil simmers.
Add the eggplant and stir until browned (3-4minutes)
Add the shiitake and the ginger. Stir for another minute or two.
Add the seasonings. Stir until the sauce forms and clings to the vegetable.
Top it with the scallion and sesame seeds (optional)

Other version of seasoning
1 tbs miso
1 tbs oyster sauce
2 tsp sugar
1tbs sake
1tbs mirin
grated garlic and ginger

Topping (optional)
Scallion
Sesame seeds
Bonito flakes

This was a very good eggplant dish. It was a great combination of flavors and textures. The slightly larger cut eggplant was very similar in size to the thick mushroom and the textures of the two perfectly complimented each other.

Eggplant, Avocado and Nagaimo Gratin ナスとアボカドの長芋グラタン

I made this dish for lunch one day from what we had on hand and what we need to finish before it went bad. I just winged it without any particular recipe. As a result I was not sure how it would come out but it was certainly edible and quite interesting (in a good way).

The main items are Asian eggplant, avocado and grated nagaimo mixed with an egg (in leu of Béchamel sauce). I also added tomato and shiitake mushroom sautéed with shallot, just because I had them.

Ingredients:
One Asian eggplant (pale purple and long), cut into a bite size by cutting at 45 degree angle as I turned the egg plant (“Rangiri” 乱切り)
One avocado, cut into a bite size pieces similar to the eggplant (I only had half of a leftover avocado).
Nagaimo, about 200grams, peeled and grated
One large egg
3 skinned Campari tomatoes, seeds removed and cut into small cubes
1 tbs of chopped shiitake mushroom and shallot sautéed in olive oil (I made this few says ago mostly from the stems of the shiitake mushrooms)
Cheeses (I used sharp cheddar and parmesan but any melting cheese will do), the amount is arbitrary
2-3 tbs olive oil

Directions:
Sauté the eggplant in 2 tbs of olive oil the skin side down first then brown all other sides (4-5 minutes)
Place the eggplant and the avocado in the bottom of a small Pyrex baking dish.  Add the remaining 1tbs olive oil.
Mix the grated nagaimo and the egg and pour over (see below)

Top with the mushroom mixture, the tomatoes, and the  cheeses and bake for 30 minutes at 350F (I used the toaster oven in convection mode) (see below).

Let it stand for 5 minutes and serve (the first picture).

I was not sure the grated nagaimo and egg ratio but it came out ok. This is a sort of healthy Béchamel sauce substitute. The eggplant and avocado went well together. The next day, we placed the remaining dish in smaller individual ramekins and added a bit more cheese and toasted it in the highest setting. It heated up very nicely.

Eggplant and Jalapeño Pepper Braised in Miso なすとハロペニョペッパーの味噌炒め

This is another eggplant dish using an Asian eggplant. This was inspired by a recipe I saw on-line but I significantly deviated from it. It is miso flavored and makes a pretty good drinking snack.

Although I used jalapeño pepper, it is not hot (I carefully seeded and deveined them).

Ingredients:
One Asian eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch thick pieces, immediately soak in salted water for 5-10 minutes, drain and pat dry
2 jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise seeded and deveined, cut in julienne on bias
1 tbs light olive oil for sautéing

Seasonings, premixed
2 tbs miso
2 tbs mirin
2 tbs dashi broth (or chicken broth)

Directions:
Sauté the eggplant and jalapeño pepper with the oil for several minutes on medium heat, add the seasoning mixture and put the lid on and turn down the heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the heat to medium high and stir until most of the liquid evaporates. I tasted it hot but served it cold.

This dish has a very pleasing complexity of flavors and textures. The eggplant is soft and nicely contrasts with the somewhat crunchy texture of the jalapeno. The miso flavor plays nicely against the fresh green pepper taste of the jalapeno which tastes fresh not hot.

Eggplant Gratin with Cold Eggplant Soup 茄子のグラタンと冷製スープ

These are other eggplant dishes I made from Asian eggplant from Wee. Each dish used one eggplant so in total I used two of the 4 eggplants I bought. The first dish which is “eggplant au-gratin with meat sauce”  was perfect since it would use up a number of ingredients I had on hand. I had the marinara sauce I made some time ago but kept from going bad by reheating it. I also had 1/4 lb of ground chicken to use. I also had some skinned Campari tomatoes which were getting old. All these would be used in this dish (shown in the picture below on the left). Under the melting cheese and the meat sauce are the chunks of eggplant. This was a really good combination.  The second dish was cold eggplant soup which again was perfect since we like cold soup for lunch (shown in the picture on the right). So this was a lunch we had one day.

The hot eggplant au-gratin went well with the cold eggplant soup. There is not really a recipe since it was mostly left-over control.

Directions for the eggplant au-gratin:
I cut up the skinned Campari tomatoes (3 or 4) cooked with minced garlic in olive oil and seasoned it with salt, pepper, dried oregano and basil. I then added the ground chicken and cooked it completely. Finally, I added the left-over marinara sauce to heat through.

I used one Asian eggplant. I peeled off stripes of the skin, (so the eggplant wouldn’t explode while being cooked in the microwave), placed it in a silicon container and microwaved it for 2-3 minutes or until it became soft and cooked through. I cut it into bit-size chunks (#1), layered it with the meat sauce (#2), put the grated cheeses on top (we used sharp cheddar and smoked gouda) and baked at 350F toaster oven for 30 minutes (#4).

Directions for cold eggplant soup is also not really a recipe (made two small servings)
One Asian eggplant, stem end removed and peeled. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut into thin half moon. I placed the eggplant and chicken broth (I used Swanson brand low salt low fat) in a pan just enough to completely cover the eggplant then cooked it for 10-15 minutes. I added salt and pureed it using the immersion blender.

I served it chilled and diluted slightly with cold milk (or cream to your liking).

Both are pretty simple and good dishes. The eggplant added a meat-like texture and umami taste to the au-gratin that blended with the ground chicken in the tomato meat sauce. And what wouldn’t taste good topped with a mixture of toasted cheese? The soup was very subtle but went well with its cousin eggplant in the au-gratin. This was a perfect combo for our lunch.

Eggplant “Kabayaki” 茄子の蒲焼

This was the dish I made from the last remaining eggplant I got from Weee. With this dish I finished all the eggplants. I saw this recipe on YouTube. This is easy to make since the initial cooking is done by microwave. Visually it resembles eel kabayaki うなぎの蒲焼. I served this over fresh rice as a small donburi 丼 for “shime” 〆 ending dish one evening. This is quite unique and and a good way to serve eggplant.

Ingredients: (for two small servings)
1 Asian eggplant, stem end removed, peeled, cut into two equal pieces (This was a quite long slender eggplant)
2 tbs light olive oil

For the Kabayaki sauce
2 tbs sake
2 tbs mirin
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs sugar

Directions:
Prepare the kabayaki sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small pan on medium heat and dissolving the sugar.
Cook the eggplant in the microwave using a silicon container for 2 minutes or until cooked through
When cool enough, cut the eggplant lengthwise but do not cut all the way through. Then open it up. You may need to add more parallel cuts (again not all the way through the eggplant) so that it makes flat rectangular pieces.
Add the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and put in the eggplant pieces (see below)

Once one side is nicely browned (2-3 minutes), carefully turn it over without breaking the pieces.

When both sides are nicely browned add the kabayaki sauce to coat the eggplant pieces and the sauce reduces a bit.

Drizzle some of the sauce on the rice and place the eggplant pieces over the rice. I sprinkled powdered “sansho” 粉山椒 Japanese pepper as though this was an eel kabayaki (optional).

Visually it is easy to believe this is really eel. The flavor of the sauce further supports the impression this is eel. Even the texture is very similar. The one thing that is missing, which gives away the fact this is not eel is the unctuous fattiness that is the characteristic essence of eel. Otherwise it is a very good facsimile.

Eggplant Prosciutto and Ham Rolls 茄子の生ハム巻き

I was trying to come up some new eggplant recipes since we still had two large eggplants we got from Weee. I saw two recipes on-line using thinly sliced pork or prosciutto wrapped around a baton shaped piece of eggplant. Actually, these types of roll-ups are very popular in Japan. The most common ones use vegetables such as scallion or asparagus in the center rolled up in various kinds of thinly slices meat. Since we had slices of prosciutto and honey-baked ham, these two recipes inspired me to make roll-ups using batons of eggplant with one kind wrapped in prosciutto and the other with ham. I did not add any sauce as suggested in one of the recipes. This is a good snack-y dish. Salted “umeboshi” plum paste gave a nice salty sour flavor that went well with the eggplant. We definitely liked the prosciutto one best.

Ingredients (made 12 roll-ups):
For salted plum sauce (“bainiku” 梅肉)
Two “umeboshi” 梅干し salted plums, meat removed from the stone, chopped.
1/2 tsp mirin

One asian/Japanese eggplant (long slender one which is not quite a Japanese eggplant), quartered length-wise, then cut across about 2 inch long or the width of the ham and prosciutto.
10 perilla “aojiso” 青紫蘇 leaves
12 slices total of prosciutto and ham.
1 tbs potato starch or “katakuriko”片栗粉
2-3 tbs light olive oil or vegetable oil

Directions:
Place the meat of the salted plum in a Japanese “suribachi” mortar. Add the mirin and grind into a smooth paste (#1)
Spread out a slice of the prosciutto or ham on a cutting board, place the perilla leaf on the ham, smear the plum sauce, place a baton of the eggplant and roll to make 12 roll-ups (#2 and #3).
Thinly coat the surface with potato starch
Seam-side down, fry in a non-stick frying pan with the olive oil in medium heat, turning occasionally to brown all sides (#4). Once all sides are brown, turn the heat down put the lid on, to complete cooking of the eggplant (about 5 more minutes).
Serve hot or re-heated in the toaster oven before serving.

As mentioned before, the ones made with prosciutto were much better largely because the ham didn’t have any flavor. The outside was crispy with some saltiness. The eggplant was creamy, soft and permeated with the major flavors that came from the salted plum paste and the perilla leaves. Very good combination of the textures and flavors. Perfect snack for either sake or wine.

Eggplant Stir-fry with Perilla and Ginger 大葉ナス

Again we got some Japanese groceries delivered from Weee which included some Asian eggplants. Since the delivery included quite a good number of eggplants, I had to come up with a number of different dishes to use them before they go bad. I made this dish which is new to me. I was inspired by looking at a YouTube episode. This was a perfect dish since in addition to eggplant, it uses green perilla which is growing quite well in our herb garden. As usual I treated the recipe as “advisory” and made some modifications. This is slightly sweet due to the oyster sauce and added sugar but it is also somewhat spicy from the ginger. It has a nice perilla taste as well. I think this is good served warm or cold. It’s also another item that goes well with cold sake.

Ingredients:
One asian eggplant (this was a slender long one, which is equivalent to two small Japanese eggplants), cut into quarters lengthwise and then cut on the bias into bite sized pieces.
10 green perilla leaves, finely chopped (left in the picture below).
1 tbs julienne of ginger (center in the picture below).
2 tbs oil (I used light olive oil with a splash of dark sesame oil) (divided 1 tbs each).
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp ponzu
1 tbs chicken broth (the original recipe calls for granulated chicken broth or 鶏がらスープの素 which is freeze dried granules of chicken and vegetable broth. This is an ingredient that often appears in Japanese recipes)
2 tsp salt and 1 tbs potato starch (for preparation of the eggplant)

Directions:
Salt the eggplant pieces, mix well and and let it stand for 5 minutes or more (until some moisture comes out)
Wash with cold water to remove excess salt, ring out moisture from the eggplant (left in the picture below), lightly coat with the potato starch

Add the oil to the frying pan on medium flame. When the oil is hot add the eggplant pieces turning until both sides are cooked and browned (3-4 minutes), set it aside (picture below)

Add the remaining oil to the pan on low flame add the ginger and sauté for one minute or until fragrant.
Add the perilla and sauté for one more minute. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken broth and mix.
Add back the eggplant and stir and the sauce slightly reduced (1-2 minutes).

This is another flavorful rendition of “eggplant”. I was very careful not to overcook it and have the eggplant dissolve as a result the skin had a slight crunch while the white interior was soft and creamy. It had a surprising bite of hot spiciness which took us a little while to figure out was coming from the ginger. But it added another positive note to the dish.

Lily Bulb with Ikura; Eggplants and Wood Ear in Mustard Dressing 百合根とキクラゲの辛子和え

This is on the theme of multiple small appetizers served in a multi- divided  plate. We got delivery of some Japanese vegetables which included eggplant, lily bulb and wood ear mushroom among other things. I served five appetizers. Two of them are new and are the ones I am presenting here.

Lilly bulb with ikura. This is a very simple but good dish. I separated the lily bulb into individual pieces and briefly boiled them. After they cooled I refrigerated them. I served them as shown below. I just topped each lily bulb cup shaped piece with marinated ikura salmon roe. Due to its simplicity I did not include a formal ingredients and directions section for this dish below. The slightly sweet and mildly crunchy texture of the lily bulb went well with the taste of the marinated ikura.

The picture below shows the eggplant and wood ear mushroom dish. I dressed it in mustard sauce which was slightly spicy, vinegary and sweet. The sauce gave an unexpected but nice bright note to the dish while the texture contrast between the thinly sliced eggplant and crunchy wood ear mushroom was a nice combination.

As mentioned, these were two among the 5 appetizers I served. I made two 5 dish appetizer plates one evening as shown below. (One for myself and one for my wife). The picture shows the two dishes discussed above along with the other three that made up the 5 dish plate.  From left to right are; store bought fish cake warmed in the toaster oven, the eggplant and wood ear dressed in mustard sauce, lily bulb with ikura, eggplant “agebitashi” with mushrooms, and hijiki and fried tofu stir fry.

The eggplant and wood ear dish in mustard sauce (recipe came from eRecipe - in Japanese)

Ingredients:
One Japanese (Asian) eggplant (long slender kind)
Wood ear (I used fresh which was blanched and cooled) if using dried, hydrate and removed the hard parts and blanch it, amount arbitrary

For dressing: (amount all to taste)
Japanese (hot) prepared mustard, amount arbitrary, from tube
Sweet vinegar (this was home-made) or sushi vinegar
Soy sauce

Directions:
Cut the eggplant with stem end removed, in half length-wise and then cut thinly across on the bias
Soak the pieces in cold water for 5-10 minutes, squeeze out water and add salt and knead. Let it stand until some moisture comes out and the slice of the eggplant has wilted
Wash in water and squeeze out the excess water
Cut wood ear into bite sized pieces. If attachment ends are hard, remove them.
In a small bowl, add the eggplants, wood ear and the dressing and mix well

“Atsu-age” Fried-tofu with Mapo Eggplant 厚揚げの麻婆茄子かけ

“Atsu-age” 厚揚げ or “Nama-age” 生揚げ is fried tofu with a surface like “Abura-age” but the inside remains as soft tofu. We used be able to get good quality atsu-age from our japanese grocery store. I have posted quite a few dishes I made with this but the best dish, as far as we are concerned, and particularly if the quality of the atsu-age is good is simply grilled (in the toaster oven) served with soy sauce and chopped scallion. But, for some reason, the ones we have gotten recently are not really good.  This was the case with the one I got the other day. I decided to make something different using this not-really-good atsu-age. Since I had leftover mapo eggplant, I decided to use it as a topping for the atsu-age.

Because of the spicy mapo eggplant sauce, the atsu-age was more palatable but still not great.

I first cut the atsu-age into cubes and heated it up in the toaster oven on high toast mode.

This ws not bad and made a nice appetizer but I hope at some point we can get better quality atsu-age.

Mapo Eggplant 麻婆茄子

When I stopped by our Japanese grocery store, they had some genuine Japanese eggplants and I got two. I asked my wife what I should make, she requested “Mapo eggplant” 麻婆茄子. In the past I used to make this dish but I do not think I posted the recipe. I made it exactly like Mapotofu 麻婆豆腐 but instead of tofu, I used eggplant. Since I had some chicken thighs, I removed the meat from one of the thighs and hand chopped it into small pieces to use as a protein for this dish. The final dish was mildly spicy with the nice soft texture of eggplant. The chicken really added nice taste and texture. This is great as it is or over rice.

Ingredients:
2 small Japanese egg plants
One chicken thigh, skin and bone removed and chopped in small pieces or ground chicken
2-3 tbs peanut oil and 1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tbs ginger root, skinned and finely chopped
1 tbs garlic, chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
3 stalks of spring onion
1 tsp Doubanjian 豆板醤
1 tsp Tenmenjian 甜麺醤
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp potato starch+2tbs sake or water to make potato starch slurries

Directions：
Remove the stem end, peel skin in stripes (to reduce the bitterness the skin may have) and slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces.
Heat up a wok and add 2 tbs peanut oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the eggplant and stir fly until the oil is absorbed and the eggplant slightly browned (see below).
Remove the eggplant from the wok and set aside.

Add 1tbs peanut oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in the wok. When the oil is hot, add the shallot, ginger and garlic and stir for few minutes. Add the doubanjian and stir until fragrant for 1 more minute. Add the chicken and stir until cooked (2-3 minutes). Add the eggplant, tenmenjian, chicken broth and mix and cook for a few minutes. Add the spring onion and the potato starch slurry and cook on high flame until the sauce thickens. If desired finish with sesame oil and powdered sansho pepper.

You just can’t beat the taste and texture of Japanese eggplant. This dish was homey and comforting. The eggplant had a soft texture and the chicken added a firm contrast. It is hard to get the right level of spiciness. It can either be too hot or too bland. This version was perfect.

Cold Marinated Eggplant 冷製レンジなすのポン酢漬け

We recently got Japanese (or Asian) eggplant from Weee. Although  I posted quite a few dishes using eggplant, we have not had eggplant for a long time. We really love “grilled eggplant” or Yakinasu 焼きなす, it requires a charcoal fire to make it correctly, however. I decided to take a short cut and cook the eggplant in the microwave oven. I then marinated the cooked eggplant (see below) overnight in the refrigerator.

Just before serving, I topped it with “katusobushi” 鰹節 bonito flakes. This is very easy to make and tasted pretty good. This is loosely based on a recipe I read on line sometime ago but I could not find the original recipe so I made the dish from memory.

Ingredients:
One Japanese eggplant (picture below).
3 tbs ponzu shouyu ポン酢醤油
1/2 tbs or more to taste, x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce
1/4 tsp dark sesame oil
2 stalks of scallion, finely chopped

Directions:
First make the marinade mixing the ponzu, noodle sauce, sesame oil and scallion.
Cut off the stem end of the egg plant and peel the skin
Since it was too long to fit into the silicon microwave container, I cut it into two pieces and microwaved it 2-2.5 minutes until cooked and soft (in the picture below, I made the indentation when I pressed it to see if it was done).
I cut the cooked eggplant in to long strips and then cut crosswise into bite sized pieces
I placed the hot eggplant into the marinade
I sealed the container and refrigerated it for a few hours or overnight (I like overnight marination)

Just before serving, top the eggplant with bonito flakes.

This is a very easy to make and tastes pretty good. Its a perfect small appetizer dish to go with sake.

Japanese egg plant stir fry with cumin 茄子のクミン炒め

As I mentioned previously Tako Grill started a mini-Japanese grocery store in addition to take-out. Occasionally I get some Japanese groceries when I stop by for take out. This time I got Asian (Japanese) eggplant (slender long eggplant with light purple color). I decided to make something a bit different and came across this recipe in e-recipe. It is interesting since it uses bacon and cumin seeds not ususal Japanese seasoning. 

The recipe also said this will go with wine; a major encouragement so I decided to make it. Initially when I tasted it I did not taste much cumin but later it became more pronounced and I am glad I did not add the additional ground cumin I contemplated. 

Ingredients:
One Asian (Japanese) egg plant, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into 1/4 inch thick half-moon slices.
2 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Add the olive oil in a frying pan on medium flame
Add the cumin seeds and fry until fragrant and starts making popping noises.  But be careful not to burn it. 
Add the eggplant and the bacon
Keep stirring until the bacon gets crispy and the eggplant gets soft and cooked.
Season with salt and pepper.

These are not the flavors you would expect in a  Japanese eggplant dish but they are a great combination. The eggplant is unctuous in texture and picks up the smokiness of the bacon. The bacon itself adds a burst of saltiness. The hint of cumin adds another taste dimension that “plays well” with the eggplant and bacon. As indicated this does go very well with red wine or sake. We really like this dish.

Simmered eggplant and shime-saba with grated daikon 茄子の忘れ煮としめ鯖のおろし和え

These are four appetizers we started with one evening. I tend to make the same things we like but this time, for a change, I made two new dishes. In the picture below, clock-wise from upper left are vinegar cured Japanese mackerel or "shime-saba" in grated daikon dressed in ponzu しめ鯖のおろし和え, long simmered Japanese eggplant or 茄子の忘れ煮, squid "shiokara" 塩辛 and salmon "nanban" 鮭の南蛮漬け.

I bought a package of frozen vinegar cured Japanese mackerel or "shime-saba" from the Japanese grocery store and realized I already had another package in the freezer. So I decided to use the old package. I have served this several different ways including simple sashimiしめ鯖の刺身, ceviche  鯖のサビーチェ, and moulded sushi 鯖の押し寿司. I saw this recipe on line and made some modifications. This is very similar to what I made using tuna sashimi 鮪のおろし和え, previously. I garnished this with chiffonade of perilla and a wedge of lemon. I served this the evening I made it and then, again the following evening. After some time in the fridge, the flavors amalgamated and it got much better.

Ingredients:
One package of shime-saba, thawed, lightly washed with sake, patted dry, thin skin removed, and then cut into thin (1/4 inch) slices.
2 tbs ponzu shoyu ポン酢醤油 (from the bottle, or equal mixture of rice vinegar or citrus juice and soy sauce)
2 inch long daikon, peeled and grated and excess moisture drained*
Rehydrate dried seaweed mixture, arbitrary amount (optional)
Chiffonade of perilla and lemon wedge for garnish

*I use a grater with a meshed receptacle inside the bottom container which automatically drains excess moisture from grated daikon (or any other items). I made  sure to taste before assembling into the dish since some daikon is atomically hot. This one was ok.

Directions:
In a bowl, add the shime-saba, grated diakon, seaweed and ponzu and mix, I also added additional yuzu juice (from the bottle) for a good measure. I let it marinate for several hours to overnight, then topped it with the perilla and lemon.

This is a good dish. The daikon really makes this dish and goes perfectly with cold sake.

I made the eggplant dish since I got 2 Japanese eggplants at the Japanese grocery store a week ago and did not immediately use them. (My wife was kind enough to reminded me that eggplant, even the Japanese kind, does not improve with age.) The dish is also from the same web site I got the recipe for the mackerel dish. I decided to make this since it does not use any oil and looked healthy and simple. The Japanese name is "Wasure-ni" 忘れ煮 meaning "forgot that it was still simmering" indicating involving long simmering. The original recipe calls for "hoshi-ebi" 干しエビ, small dried shrimp, which is used to add "umami" flavor and fresh "myouga" 茗荷 but I did not have either one so I skipped the shrimp and substituted fresh myouga with vinegard myouga 茗荷の甘酢漬け we made almost one year ago as a garnish. I added slices of ginger in the simmering liquid whihc was not part of the original recipe. I served this with blanched broccoli rabe which is the closest we can get to "Nanohana" 菜の花.

Ingredients:
One Japanese eggplant (this one was on the larger side), remove the stem end, cut in quarters lengthwise, multiple thin slice cuts on the bias through the skin into the flesh but not all the way through and immediately soak in salted cold water for 10-20 minutes.
2 slices of ginger
Threads of ginger root for garnish (skin, slice thinly and then cut into thin threads).

For broth
1 cup Bonito broth (I made it from a dashi pack)
1/3 cup of concentrated Japanese noodle sauce (or mirin and soy sauce in equal amount).
two slices of ginger (original recipe calls for 1 tbs dried shrimp)

Directions:
Heat up the simmering broth until boiling
Put the prepared egg plant, the ginger slices and cover with a inner "otoshi" buta 落とし蓋 (I used a silicon "otoshi-buta" or cover it with an aluminum foil made it to a round, slight smaller than the pot opening, place the lid and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

This is a really good dish. The eggplant got really soft and absorbed the flavors of the broth. I served it cold which is perfect for summer.

The picture below is the usual salmon dish I make which is always good with cold sake.

Shown below is frozen "shiokara" from the pouch. Again, only the drink that goes with this is sake.

So, we enjoyed all four appetizers with a sips of cold sake. Our home Izakaya is not bad at all.

Eggplant stir fried with sweet miso 茄子の味噌炒め

 This is the eggplant dish I made with the last remaining Japanese (Asian) eggplant we recently got from Hmart (left in the first picture). I served this with bluefish simmered in miso ブルーフィッシュの味噌煮 (right).

Since oil and eggplants go well together, first frying it  in oil and then simmering in sauce is the most usual way of preparing eggplants. That what I did with this dish; the eggplant was first fried and then simmered in the miso flavored sauce. I garnished it with roasted sesame seeds.

This was accompanied by another miso flavored dish; bluefish simmered in miso.

Ingredients for the eggplant (makes about 8 of the small servings in the first picture):
1 Japanese eggplant (this was a big one about 10 inch long), stem end removed, skin peeled in strips and cut into bite sized pieces ("Ran-giri" 乱切り) then soaked in salted water to 10-15 minutes.
2 tsp neutral oil (I used light olive oil) for frying
1 tsp grated ginger root

For miso seasoning (Dissolve the below in a small bowl)
2 tbs sake
2 tsp red miso
2 tsp mirin

Directions:
Sauté the eggplant in a frying pan with the oil on medium flame until the oil is absorbed and the eggplant is soft (few minutes).
Add the ginger and then the seasoning and stir for a few minutes.
I served with white sesame seeds as garnish.

Since oil and eggplant go together well, this is a nice dish but we like the eggplant in seasoned broth 茄子のお浸しbetter. It is easier to make to boot and probably, is healthier since  no oil was used. 

Tarako from Korean grocery store Hmart 焼きたらこ

 Lightly grilled salted "tarako" たらこ cod roe is not really a new dish as I posted it many years ago,  but it is a very common dish in Izakaya and goes perfectly well with sake. I usually get tarako (frozen) from our Japanese grocery store, but this time I got it from Hmart, the Korean grocery store, through Instacart.  The groceries were delivered while I was not at home so my wife received them. During a subsequent phone call,  she mentioned that it was not a completely successful grocery run since the three types of fresh mushrooms and the mackerel we ordered were not available. The good news was that the "tarako" did arrive. She said something was wrong, however, because it was covered with a red goopy stuff and suggested that maybe the little egg sacks had somehow ruptured spilling their contents. (Not good!) So when I got back in the evening and inspected the tarako I found it was coated with a Korean hot sauce "gochujang". We were both relieved and had a good chuckle. Since we are not into very hot spicy food, I quickly rinsed off the hot sauce. I made "Tarako" pasta たらこスパゲッティwith it and it was just fine. I made the dish shown below from the last sac of tarako. I just cooked it in the toaster oven until the surface was cooked but the insides were still raw. I served it with a Dashimaki omelet だし巻き I had made.

This was a part of several appetizers I served that evening (second picture). From left to right; Eggplant in seasoned broth 茄子のお浸し、deviled egg from pickled eggs my wife made,  salmon in sweet vinegar 鮭の南蛮漬け. The bottom right are oven-baked potato chips which my wife is in the process of perfecting and which will be subject of another post. The dish on the bottom left is a dipping sauce my wife made to go with the potato chips.

In any case, we started the evening with these small appetizers.