Monday, January 14, 2008

Simmered Eggplants Recipe


By Setsuko Yoshizuka

In this recipe, eggplants are deep-fried before they are simmered. It's called ageni in Japanese. This dish can be chilled before serving in summer.

Ingredients:

  • 4 Japanese eggplants, cut in half lenghthwise
  • 1 1/3 cup dashi soup stock
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp mirin
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 Tbsp katakuriko or corn starch
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • *vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Make diagonal incisions on the skin side of eggplants. Heat oil to 360 degrees F in a skillet for deep-frying. Deep-fry eggplants until softened. Combine dashi soup, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to low. Simmer fried eggplants in the soup for about 10 minutes. Remove the eggplants into a plate. Bring the soup to a boil and add the mixture of katakuriko starch and water. Stir quickly and stop the heat. Add grated ginger in the soup and pour it over simmered eggplants.
*Makes 4 servings

Source
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/vegetable/r/eggplantnitsuke.htm