Eggplant donburi

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp cooking sake
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsp mirin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 eggplants, cut lengthways into 1cm thick slices
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 50g ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp white wine or apple cider vinegar
• Fried shallots to serve
• Steamed jasmine rice to serve

Method

1. Heat three tablespoons of oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat, add 2/3 of the ginger, and cook for about eight minutes, until beginning to caramelise and crisp up.
2. Tip into a bowl, stir in the salt and vinegar, and set aside.
3. Put more oil in the frying pan, then, in batches, fry the eggplant slices for three minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
4. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towel, to drain, and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices, adding more oil to the pan as required.
5. While eggplant is cooking, make the donburi sauce by combining remaining 1/3 of the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin and cooking sake in a small bowl.
6. Return all eggplant slices to the pan in layers and turn down the heat. Pour the donburi sauce over the top, leave it to bubble for a couple of minutes, until reduced and sticky, then take off the heat.
7. Serve eggplant over steamed jasmine rice with ginger mixture and fried shallots sprinkled on top.

Product used in recipe

• Obento - Cooking Sake