Trim the stem end of the eggplant and peel it completely using a vegetable peeler.

Put the peeled eggplant in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on medium-high (600W) for 3 minutes.

While the eggplant cools, mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Cut the eggplant down the middle lengthwise, being careful not to slice all the way through. Open it up like a book.

If needed, make a few more shallow cuts to help flatten the eggplant.

Dust the cut side with all-purpose flour. This coating will help the sauce stick and create a subtle crust.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil. Once the pan is nice and hot, place the eggplant flat down with the flour-dusted side touching the surface of the pan.

Cook until golden brown on one side.

Then flip and brown the other side.

Next, pour the prepared sauce over the browned eggplant in the pan. Gently stir to coat all sides of the eggplant, letting the sauce reduce and thicken.

This step is key for getting that rich, glossy coating we all love in kabayaki. Keep cooking until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.

Top the rice with any leftover sauce and a sprinkle of kizami nori for a hint of sea-flavor.

Take the eggplant off the heat and arrange it on top of the rice. You can add whatever toppings you like, like green onions and sesame seeds. If you want to add a bit of a kick, try adding a little wasabi paste to the rice before you put the eggplant on top.

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Give the eggplant a quick rinse and pat it dry with a paper towel. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.

Using a sharp knife, make shallow diagonal incisions in a crosshatch pattern on the flesh of each eggplant half.

Just be careful not to cut through the skin, as this helps the eggplant maintain its shape during grilling.

Put the eggplant halves on the preheated grill, skin side down.

Grill for 3 minutes, letting the flesh soften and get grill marks.

After 3 minutes, flip the eggplant halves over so the skin side faces the heat source and continue grilling for an additional 5 minutes.

This two-stage grilling process ensures the eggplant is cooked through and tender inside.

While the eggplant is grilling, you can make the miso sauce. Just mix all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.

Put the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir the sauce constantly to prevent burning. Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn the heat down low. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes, stirring now and then to blend the flavors and thicken the sauce a bit. Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside.

Once the eggplant has been grilled for 8 minutes in total, take it off the grill. Use a pastry brush to coat the flesh side of each half with the prepared miso sauce.

If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can use the back of a spoon instead.

Put the eggplant halves back on the grill with the sauce side up. Grill for another 2-3 minutes over medium heat, or until the miso sauce starts to caramelize and gets a slightly darker color. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn, as the sugar in the miso can burn quickly.

Take the grilled eggplant off the heat and put it on a serving plate. Let it cool for a minute or so before you add the garnish. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the eggplant.

Add shredded shiso leaves for a fresh, minty flavor that goes well with the rich miso glaze.

Start by filling a bowl with cold water and adding a pinch of salt.

Wash your eggplant, cut off the ends and slice it in half (or quarters if particularly large) lengthways. Cut into slices, about 3mm thick.

As you cut, place the slices in the bowl of water to help prevent and discoloring.

Soak in the bowl for 20 minutes, this will improve the flavor of the eggplant and remove any bitterness.

Since making sushi ginger (gari) and red pickled ginger (benishoga), I’ve become a big fan of blanching the ginger before pickling it. It mellows out the spiciness and gives it a really pleasant flavor.

Start boiling a small pot of water.

While you wait, scrap off the skin of the ginger root using a spoon, this will help you get into the crevices. Then slice it as thin as you can and drop it into the boiling water.

Drain the water and rinse the ginger slices under cold water to cool them down.

Once the ginger is cool enough to touch, cut the slices into matchsticks. Thinly slice the myoga and perilla leaves.

Since all of these ingredients have strong flavors, they should be cut smaller to help evenly distribute them throughout the rest of the pickles.

Wash the cucumber, cut off the ends and scoop out the seeds in the middle.

Slice 3mm thick (the same as the eggplant).

Drain the eggplants and place them in a large dry bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Sprinkle them with salt.

Massage the salt until all the vegetables are evenly covered.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the vegetables.

Then cover with a plate and a heavy object that weighs about double the weight of the vegetables. I used a 1kg bag of salt.

Rest in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and squeeze the vegetables as hard as you can to remove the excess moisture.

Discard the liquid and place the vegetables in a sealable freezer bag.

Add the sugar and red ume vinegar to the bag and massage until evenly covered.

If using red perilla leaves, make sure to scrub them with salt and wash them before placing them in the bag.

Push the air out of the bag and seal it. Place flat down in a wide container to keep the ingredients submerged and prevent leaks.

Rest in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Squeeze the pickles and discard the leftover pickling liquid. Transfer the shibazuke to a clean, airtight container and enjoy!

Fill a large bowl just over halfway with water. As you cut the vegetables, place them in this water to prevent them from discoloring.

Start with daikon radish: peel it, and cut it flat along the fibers into 1 cm wide strips.

Lay them on a cutting board and cut them lengthwise into 4 equal pieces (so they become 1 to 1.5 cm square sticks).

Turn it 90 degrees and cut 4 to 5 mm wide from the end. Thinly slice these sticks and drop them into the water.

For the eggplant, peel it and use the same method as the daikon radish. However, keep in mind that eggplant will soften once salted, so cutting it a little thicker than daikon is recommended.

For the Japanese or Persian cucumber, peel, remove the ends, and cut in half lengthways (or quarters if thick). Thinly slice and add to the water. Lastly, peel and finely dice fresh ginger.

Drain the water from the bowl and add the ginger with salt. Mix everything well. Let it rest for about 20 minutes.

This process allows the salt to draw out excess moisture from the vegetables. In the meantime, you can prepare the lotus root and pickling liquid.

Heat a small pot of water. While you wait, peel the lotus root and thinly slice it. Then, cut each slice into smaller pieces.

Once the water is boiling, blanch the lotus root slices for about 1 minute. Drain them and let them cool.

Combine soy sauce, dashi stock, red wine, light brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a saucepan. Heat this mixture on medium and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.

After that, remove it from the heat and let it cool down.

After the 20-minute rest, you’ll notice the bowl of vegetables has accumulated water. Drain them using a sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Transfer these vegetables to a sealable freezer bag. Add the lotus root, the cooled pickling liquid, and the kombu.

Push out any air and seal the bag. For safety, place this bag in a container to avoid leaks. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours to let the flavors meld.

Enjoy these pickles with Japanese curry rice! The tanginess of the pickles complements the richness of the curry beautifully.

You can also eat it on its own as a side pickle!

By the way, in my experience, this Fukujinzuke recipe tastes the best on the third day!

Depending on the size of the eggplant, you can cut it into halves (like above), thirds, or quarters. Essentially, each piece should be slightly bigger than Bitesize; it will shrink and soften when deep-fried.

Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F) and then add the eggplant with the skin side facing down. Fry for 1 minute, then turn it over and continue to fry for another minute, 2 minutes in total.

Once you’ve finished frying the vegetables, place them in a colander or sieve over a heatproof bowl and pour freshly boiled water over them. This will remove any excess oil without losing the flavor from the deep frying. It also prevents oil from leaking out into your dashi broth.

Place the deep-fried eggplant (and any other vegetables you might add) into the broth, making sure the ingredients are fully submerged. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving. (I placed a lid on the saucepan and stored it in the fridge, but you can transfer it to a sealable container if you prefer.)

You can serve agebitashi in individual serving bowls or one large bowl to share. Garnish the dish with grated daikon radish and finely chopped spring onion. I also like to add sliced ooba (shiso/perilla leaves) and katsuobushi for more flavor, but they are optional!

Since agebitashi is served chilled, there’s no need to reheat.

Cut the top of the eggplant to remove the stem.

Cut the eggplant lengthways down the middle.

If your eggplant is long, cut it in half horizontally. If your eggplant is particularly small, you can skip this step.

If your eggplant is quite thick, you can half it lengthways one more time. This is optional and depends on how wide you want the fan to be.

Leaving about 1cm (1/2 inch) at the top, cut slices 5mm apart. (Approx 1/4 inch)

Gently spread the slices apart to make a fan shape.

Begin by sifting the cornstarch and cake flour into a mixing bowl. Thoroughly combine the two ingredients, then place the bowl in the freezer.

To create a delicious tempura batter, it is essential to use cold ingredients. To accomplish this, pour water into a jug and place it in the fridge along with an unopened bottle of sparkling water.

This simple step will make a significant difference in the outcome of your dish.

Before we start preparing the batter, let’s focus on the eggplant. Slice the eggplant per your preference using any of the methods explained above.

If you’re using the suehiro or thick round cuts, I recommend soaking the eggplant in a bowl of cold water with a pinch of salt for 5-10 minutes.

This will help draw out any bitter flavors and prevent the eggplant from soaking up too much oil while frying.

On the other hand, if you’re slicing the eggplant thinly with a mandoline, sprinkle the slices lightly with salt to release excess water from the eggplant.

After slicing the eggplant, dab them dry with kitchen paper. It’s important to remove all the water, as any moisture left will react with the oil and cause splashing.

It’s time to prepare the batter after 30 minutes. To make the batter, you can mix a few tablespoons of chilled water and ½ tbsp of Japanese mayonnaise in a bowl.

This is a great alternative to using a small amount of egg, which can be tough to measure precisely.

If you prefer, you can use egg instead, but remember that the general usage ratio for mayonnaise is 1 egg = 1 tbsp mayonnaise. So, make sure to use mayonnaise that contains eggs.

Next, add the flour/starch mixture to the bowl in thirds and use chopsticks to mix the ingredients together gently. Be careful not to overmix the batter, it’s perfectly fine if it still has lumps.

Finally, add some ice cubes to the batter to keep it chilled and ready to use.

To make eggplant tempura, we need to heat our cooking oil to 175°C (347°F). Overcooking the eggplant can make the tempura soggy and greasy, so cooking it just right is important.

I recommend cooking each piece for 1 minute on each side. If you’re using eggplant slices cut with a mandoline, they only need 30 seconds on each side.

Alternatively, you can remove the eggplant from the oil when the bubbles become small and no longer crack loudly.

Since eggplant contains a lot of moisture, it’s best to dry the surface with kitchen paper and then dust it with flour.

This will create a barrier that keeps the moisture and grease out. It also helps the batter stick to the surface.

However, it’s important to dust off any excess flour. Otherwise, the batter will either become thick and chewy or fall off completely.

If you use suehiro/oogi cut for this recipe, it is ideal to add them to the oil skin side up first.

The surface of the skin side is extremely smooth, so the batter easily falls off. So cook the flesh side first and then turn it over.

After frying, place the tempura on a wire rack to allow excess oil to drip off and achieve a golden and crispy texture.

This sweet eggplant tempura pairs very well with tempura dipping sauce and kake udon/soba.

Enjoy it any way you like!

Cut the chicken thigh into medium bite size pieces.

Place them in a container and add soy sauce, sake, grated ginger and grated garlic. Mix thoroughly until the chicken is evenly coated. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator until the vegetables are cooked.

Take a measuring jug and add light brown sugar, apple vinegar, soy sauce, Japanese black vinegar, mirin, sake, water and cornstarch.

Mix until the sugar and starch have dissolved, and set aside for later.

Start preheating your oil to 180°C (356°F). Since this recipe is shallow fried, use a pan wide enough to place all your ingredients in one layer. The oil should be about 3cm high (approx just over 1 inch).

Cut the eggplant into rough pieces with the skin on and place them in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. This will prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil when it’s fried.

Peel the lotus root and carrot, then cut the lotus root into thick slices and place them in the bowl with the eggplant. Roughly cut the carrot, onion, and bell pepper.

Once the oil is hot, add the carrots to the pan and fry for 3 minutes on each side.

Once cooked, use a mesh spoon to scoop them up and transfer them to a wire rack to drain the excess oil.

Remove the eggplant and lotus root from the bowl of water and dry them thoroughly with kitchen paper. Place them in the oil with the bell pepper and fry for 1 minute.

Then, transfer to the wire rack to drain.

Finally, add the onion and fry it for one minute.

Transfer to the wire rack and lower the heat of the oil to 170°C (338°F).

Add cornstarch to a container and take the chicken from the fridge. Shake the excess marinade off each piece and then roll it in the cornstarch until generously covered.

Place the chicken in the oil and fry for 3 minutes on each side.

Increase the heat to 190°C (374°F) and fry for another 1 minute on each side.

Transfer to a wire rack to allow the oil to drain off.

Heat a wok, add a small amount of oil and add the vegetables and chicken. Take the jug of sauce from earlier and mix well before pouring it into the wok.

Stir fry until the sauce is thick and glossy.

Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat.

Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy with rice, miso soup, and pickles or salad for the whole Ootoya experience!

Cut the pork belly into bite-sized pieces. Combine pork, salt, black pepper, and all-purpose flour in a bowl. Mix until pork is evenly coated.

Add the egg yolk and mix to form a batter around the pork.

Heat your cooking oil to around 180 °C (356 °F) for frying.

Once the oil is ready, roll each pork piece in cornstarch and drop them straight into the oil.

Fry until crispy and cooked through (about 3-4 minutes).

Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towel.

In the same oil, fry roughly cut bitesize pieces of carrots for 1 minute.

Add onions and bell peppers and fry for an additional minute. Remove and drain.

In a cold frying pan, combine all sauce ingredients. Mix well before turning on the heat. Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.

Add the fried vegetables to the sauce and stir.

Add the fried pork and mix until everything is coated and the saucy is thick and glossy.

Dish out the sweet and sour pork and sprinkle with white sesame seeds. Subuta goes perfectly with white rice.

Enjoy!