Dashi-Soaked Eggplant Recipe

Eggplant is often prepared with lots of oil but you don't always have to take that approach to enjoy its rich flavor and plush texture. There are Asian recipes for steamed, simmered, and grilled eggplant. This simple eggplant side dish utilizes the microwave and quick stovetop charring to effortlessly cook the eggplant to a soft, slightly smoky state. The eggplant is then soaked in dashi to develop savory depth before it's garnished and served. It's that easy.

I first made the eggplant in Hawaii at a friend's home. She described the dish as being being fried eggplant in dashi. I didn't want to fry so I grilled. In the heat of this summer, I took to microwaving and a bit of charring. The result is this recipe, which I've had on rotation through the season. I hope you'll put it to good use too! Below are bonus tips, including a little video recap of how the recipe comes together.

Eggplant Choices

Chinese eggplant was my choice for this dish because sometimes I leave the skin on after microwaving and this variety's skin is thin and pleasant to eat. Japanese eggplant tends to have thicker skin so I would usually peel it. On the other hand, you can also microwave and char the eggplant, peeling the skin here and there!

As for these eggplants, they look somewhat sad and dented but they worked perfectly fine in the dish. They'd been in my fridge for about 2 weeks. I'd forgotten about them. Hmong farmers have told me that a bit of softness in eggplant is fine so long as they taste sweet inside. These cooked up to a beautiful taste.

Instant and Vegan Dashi Options

Because you only need a cup of dashi, it seems a waste of time to make it from scratch. I reach for this jar of instant Hondashi -- which is commonly sold at Asian markets and this little guy came from an indie grocery store in my neighborhood. Instant dashi often has MSG, which is not a big deal to me. If you are sensitive to it, read the label carefully. Dashi has kombu and bonito (fish) flakes so it is not vegetarian.

For a vegan dashi option, soak an index card size piece of kombu with ½ ounce of dried shiitake mushroom in about 2 cups of water for 6 to 24 hours. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and strain to use.

Microwaving Eggplant Pros and Cons

When you don't have time to stand at the stove or over a live fire grill to char eggplant, microwave it. The microwave cooks eggplant splendidly. I started using it for globe eggplant recipes in my book, Vietnamese Food Any Day. The appliance enabled me to easily serve eggplant (one of my favorite vegetables) on a weeknight. The advantages is the unattended cooking. Turn on the machine and walk away. The disadvantage is that you don't get the smoky edge from live fire charring. That's why I suggest following up with a bit of charring. But when you do that, you remove the skin which is loaded with good-for-you nutrients. So, choose how you'd like to cook the eggplant but know that there are pros and cons and an in-between option too!

Dashi-Soaked Eggplant Video Recap

To underscore how easy this dish is, here's how I made it in my home kitchen.

(As usual, if the video prompts you to opt for "Next" or "Stay" -- choose "STAY"! Otherwise, it will go to another video. And, if you cannot view the video, the problem may be an ad blocker; removing the ad blocker usually resolves the issue. I apologize but the ad revenue keeps this site running.)

The Grill/Grate and Press I Used

In the video I use a quirky grill/grate/disk thing. If you wonder, it's called a Kozmatik and is from Turkey. I received it from friends at Milk Street Kitchen, which sells it. It's flimsy but does the job. When heated, it bends but straightens up when cooled. It cleans up well too. You don't have to have it unless you do a lot of that kind of cooking. There are little metal grates or racks sold at Asian markets and Daiso but they don't catch liquid as easily as the Kozmatik.

As for the "chef's press" weights, they were purchased from Now Serving LA, a cookbook shop in Los Angeles. They're terrific for keeping steaks and vegetables pressed against the cooking surface with just a moderate amount of pressure.

Print Recipe

3 from 1 vote

Dashi-Soaked Eggplant

Ingredients

• 3 medium Chinese eggplants (about 1 ¼ pounds total)
• ¾ teaspoon instant dashi granules
• 1 cup warm water
• Regular soy sauce
• Mirin
• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions, green parts only
• Ichimi or Shichimi Togarashi, for garnish

Instructions

• Wash the eggplants, then pull the flaps off the stem end. Use a fork to stab the eggplants in about 8 places for ventilation. (Residual moisture on the eggplant is great for microwaving.) Put the eggplants on a microwavable plate and microwave on high power for 4 to 6 minutes, until soft in most places and parts of the skin have turned brown. If you like, finish the eggplants over and open flame for a light smokiness. (See Note for open flame cooking.)
• Set the eggplants aside. When cool enough to handle, remove the charred patches of skin if you charred it. It’s ok to leave stubborn bits on the eggplant. (If you only microwaved it, then keep the skin intact.) Cut each eggplant into slender pieces about the length and width of your pinkie finger. Arrange in a shallow dish.
• Dissolve the dashi in the warm water then season with about 1tablespoon of soy sauce for a salty, savory finish. Taste, and if sweetness is needed, add about 1 ½ teaspoons of mirin. Pour the dashi over the eggplants. The eggplant should be nearly covered. Let sit at moderate room temperature, uncovered, for up to 4 hours, spooning dashi over the eggplant once or twice. The eggplant will absorb some of the dashi.
• To serve, carefully pour off most of the dashi into a small bowl, avoiding the eggplant falling out. Sprinkle the green onions on top of the eggplant, mound it in the center, or do both. Sprinkle togarashi over the eggplant. Serve the eggplant with the reserved dashi on the side for people who want more sauce.

Notes

For deeper smokiness that involves more work, roast the eggplants directly over an open flame. Use medium heat on a gas burner and if you have a grate to steady the eggplants, use it. An outdoor grill and medium-high heat work too. Open flame cooking time will be 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the eggplant size. Regardless, aim to char the eggplants all over.

The eggplant may be covered and refrigerated for up to 8 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.