Pan-fried Eggplant in a Rich Ginger and Dashi Broth (Agedashi Nasu )
A total flavour bomb!
I was so excited when I first made this dish thinking I had come up with something a bit different and exciting. I had combined two of my favourite Japanese dishes, Agedashi Tofu and Nasu Dengaku, replacing the tofu in Agedashi Tofu with fried eggplant. So I was somewhat deflated to discover that such a dish already exists! It's called Agedashi Nasu, a typical Japanese dish. (Age) refers to deep-fried, (dashi) to the stock/sauce and (nasu) to the eggplant.
Retrospectively it was very silly of me to think I could be original when it comes to Japanese cuisine considering it's long history! Anyway it's delicious.....and that’s what matters right? And when I say delicious I mean seriously delicious!
The rich deep flavour of the pan-fried eggplant is complimented by the light dashi stock, the punch of ginger and the freshness and texture from all the toppings. It's a serious flavour bomb.
Mine differs a bit from other Agedashi Nasu recipes I later discovered. I add lots of ginger and garlic to the broth so it's more punchy. I also remove the skin of the eggplant (I hate eggplant skin!) and pan fry or roast the eggplant instead of deep frying it. Nothing wrong with deep frying, and you could certainly try cooking the eggplant that way, but many people seem to get scared off when I mention deep frying! Plus you get a really lovely char on the outside of the eggplant from pan frying.
I also skip the bonito (fish) flakes to make it vegan and add sesame seeds and fresh coriander and chilli for extra pop flavour. I usually serve it as a starter or a side dish but you could also make it into a main meal. Serve it with some rice, edamame for protein and some steamed bok choy.
I am super happy with this recipe but through the experimenting phase I also made a version with deep fried eggplant served with a sticky caramel soy sauce sauce. It was totally delicious and decadent and am currently developing this recipe. So if you are a massive eggplant fan like myself watch this space!
Pan-fried Eggplant in a Rich Ginger and Dashi Broth (Agedashi Nasu )
Serves: 2 as a side dish or add rice to make it into a main
Dietary guide: The recipe is vegan and gluten free if you use tamari instead of soy sauce. To make it FODMAP friendly omit the garlic from the sauce and skip the white spring onion. Monash recommends about 1 cup of eggplant is safe for those on the FODMAP diet so just make sure you share this dish to keep the serving within the recommended amount.
Ingredients
3 Japanese/Lebanese eggplant
½ a cup of mild flavoured vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of toasted white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh spring onion (green part)
1 ½ tablespoon of chopped fresh spring onion (white part)
1 long green chilli, de-seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon of dried chilli threads (optional)
For the sauce
2 ½ teaspoon of shiitake or kombu dashi stock powder*
¼ cup of good quality Mirin (rice wine)
1 and ½ teaspoons of minced ginger
1 teaspoons of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 ½ -2 tablespoon of sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
*Dashi stock powder can be found at Asian specialty shops. You can use either shiitake dashi, kombu dashi or a mixture of both - just make sure it is vegetarian. You can also make your own using dried shiitake mushrooms.
Instructions
Thoroughly peel the eggplants – you don't want any green of the skin left. Sprinkle all over with salt and let sit for half an hour. This helps release some of the eggplants natural bitterness, you can skip this step to save time.
Next prepare the white spring onion. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, remove from the heat and add the white chopped spring onion. Stir and set aside until needed.
After half an hour, wipe down the eggplants with a damp cloth to remove the salt and water droplets that will appear on the flesh.
Heat the vegetable oil in a frypan (large enough to fit all 3 eggplants) over low-medium heat. Pan-fry the eggplants turning frequently until golden brown all over (should take about 10 minutes). If the outside is nice and brown but you think the inside is not cooked (it should feel soft and not hard in the middle) you can finish cooking it in a moderate oven. If you don’t want to pan fry the eggplant, you can bake the eggplant in the oven instead. Generously brush the eggplant with a few tablespoons of the oil and bake in a moderate oven for 35-45 minutes basting regularly with more oil and rotating the eggplant until it turns golden.
Whilst the eggplant is cooking, prepare the broth. Place all the ingredients together in a small saucepan along with 1 cup of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about ten minutes.
To serve, place the eggplant in a serving bowl and pour the broth around the eggplant. Top the eggplant with the cooked spring onion (including any residual oil). Carefully place the remaining garnishes along the bridge of the eggplants (chilli, green spring onion, coriander, sesame seeds and chilli threads if using). Serve and enjoy.
