Japanese Country Style Eggplant Nasu No Inaka Ni Food

JAPANESE COUNTRY-STYLE EGGPLANT (NASU NO INAKA-NI)

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.

JAPANESE EGGPLANT WITH MISO

Steps:

• In a bowl mix together miso, sugar, sake, mirin, sake and egg yolk.
• Wash eggplant and cut lengthways in 1cm thick pieces. Sprinkle with salt and leave ½ hour. Rinse, pat dry then brush with a little veg oil on both sides.
• Either BBQ, grill or panfry eggplant until soft.
• Spread one side with miso mix, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Grill for a few minutes until the miso bubbles on top.
• Serve, garnished with a little julienned spring onion greens.

JAPANESE EGGPLANTS WITH GARLIC, OLIVE OIL AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
• Halve eggplants lengthways, leaving stems intact.
• Place eggplants in a single layer, cut-side up, in a lightly oiled roasting tin.
• Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic, thyme sprigs and salt, and cover tin with foil.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until eggplants are tender.
• Remove from oven and increase temperature to 200 C (400 F).
• Drizzle eggplants with half the extra oil and bake, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Arrange eggplants on a platter and top with tomatoes.
• Drizzle with remaining oil and lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.

NASU DENGAKU (BROILED JAPANESE EGGPLANTS WITH MISO)

Steps:

• Mix sake or wine with sugar and boil for a few minutes.
• Add miso to wine and cook just until miso is mixed in.
• Lightly brush or rub cut side of eggplants with sesame oil.
• Place eggplants cut side down under a broiler on high for 3 minutes.
• Turn eggplant over and broil another 3 minutes.
• Spread sesame mixture thinly over cut side of eggplant and return to broiler for about 1 minute.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle eggplants with sesame seeds and green onion.
• *Note if you have extra miso mixture it's great to add to a stirfry.

BROILED BASIL EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Combine the first six ingredients in a small bowl, beating with a wire whisk until blended. Set aside.
• Brush both sides of eggplant slices with the 3 tbsp olive oil. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer ona n ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially opened) for 5 minutes on each side or until tender and lightly browned. (Smaller eggplants will need less time).
• Arrange eggplant slices on an ovenproof platter or casserole dish, overlapping slices slightly. Arange cheese slices over the eggplant slices. Broil for 1 minute or until cheese melts.
• Whisk the reserved olive oil mixture until blended. Spoon over the eggplant. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs if desired.