Steps

1. Trim the ends off 4 eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise.
   🕒 02:10
2. Make diagonal slits on the skin side of the eggplant and cut into bite-sized pieces. [Key Tip!] Scoring the skin helps the flavors penetrate better and speeds up cooking.
   🕒 02:46
3. Place the cut eggplant in a bowl, fill with plenty of water, and cover with kitchen paper. Let it soak for over 10 minutes to remove bitterness and absorb water.
   🕒 03:35
4. Finely chop the roots off 2 myoga and mince them.
   🕒 04:05
5. Peel and mince 15g of ginger.
   🕒 04:46
6. Cut the root ends off 3 stalks of chives in half and slice them thinly.
   🕒 05:41
7. Mince 1/3 stalk of green onion. [Key Tip!] You can also customize with your favorite herbs if you don't have all of these – it will still be delicious.
   🕒 06:06
8. In a bowl, combine 1.5 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp miso, 1 tsp potato starch, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and 2 tbsp soy sauce. Mix well until dissolved.
   🕒 07:15
9. Add 4 tbsp of cooking sake (rice wine) to the mixture from Step 8 and stir further. (This is your combined seasoning A)
   🕒 07:35
10. Thoroughly drain the eggplant that was soaking in water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
    🕒 07:47
11. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
    🕒 08:13
12. Once the pan is hot, arrange the eggplant with the skin side down.
    🕒 08:44
13. Flip the eggplant and cook until browned and tender all over (approx. 8 minutes).
    🕒 09:21
14. Once browned, remove the eggplant from the frying pan.
    🕒 11:26
15. In the remaining oil in the pan, quickly sauté the minced myoga, ginger, chives, and green onion over low heat until fragrant. [Key Tip!] Just sauté briefly to release their aroma; avoid overcooking.
    🕒 11:31
16. Once the herbs are fragrant, add the combined seasoning A made in Step 9 and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring. [Key Tip!] Stir continuously to prevent lumps from the potato starch and ensure the alcohol evaporates completely.
    🕒 12:14
17. Return the cooked eggplant to the simmering sauce and stir-fry briefly to coat everything evenly.
    🕒 12:53
18. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with a pinch of bonito flakes (katsuobushi), white sesame seeds (to taste), and a pinch of ichimi togarashi (Japanese chili powder), if desired. Enjoy!
    🕒 13:35