About the Recipe
Have I mentioned before that aubergine / eggplant is big in Japan? You'll find it featured in lots of art works as well as on the table. Asian aubergine varieties tend to be darker and smaller than their European cousins. If I was making this dish in Japan using a Japanese aubergine (or "nasu" as the locals say) I wouldn't immerse it in water as I do here - the flesh of the European aubergine is a little tougher and has a more bitter taste which water helps to dilute. This dish would be served as a side in Japan but here I serve as a fancy starter.
Ingredients
85g aubergine
50g peeled onion
60g green pepper
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp miso
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sugar
Preparation
dice the aubergine into 1 cm pieces and soak in water for 10 mins
roughly chop the onion
slice and cut the pepper into 1cm pieces
heat the sesame oil in a pan, add the onion and fry for 1 min
add the aubergine and fry for 1 min more
add the pepper and fry for another 1 - 2 mins
add the miso, mirin & sugar and stir fry for 1 min
your "nabe shigi" is now ready. serve as a side dish. (you could also serve this as a starter or at parties in a fancy cocktail glass.)