Steps

1. Smash 1 clove of garlic with the flat side of a knife and remove the germ.
   🕒 01:34
2. Cut 1 red chili pepper in half with kitchen scissors and remove the seeds.
   🕒 01:59
3. Thinly slice the deseeded red chili pepper.
   🕒 02:09
4. Lightly wipe 4g of kombu with a damp paper towel.
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5. Cut the kombu in half.
   🕒 02:36
6. In a pot, combine 100ml water, 60ml vinegar, and 2 tsp sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
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7. Once it boils, simmer for about 30 seconds.
   🕒 03:06
8. Turn off the heat, add 120ml Shiro Dashi (White Soy Sauce Base) and the smashed garlic to the pot. Mix well, let it cool to room temperature, and then chill completely. (Key Tip!) Putting hot marinade on eggplant can cause the skin to discolor easily, so be sure to cool it down before using.
   🕒 03:13
9. Trim the stems off 2 eggplants and cut them in half.
   🕒 03:39
10. Peel the eggplants with a peeler, creating striped patterns. (Key Tip!) Peeling in stripes helps the marinade penetrate better.
    🕒 03:49
11. Cut the eggplants into 2-4 pieces depending on their thickness, and soak in water for 5 minutes to remove bitterness.
    🕒 04:02
12. Rub 4 cucumbers all over with salt (not included in seasoning amounts) and scrub them.
    🕒 04:34
13. Rinse the salt off the scrubbed cucumbers and pat them dry.
    🕒 04:47
14. Cut off about 1.5cm from the stem end of the cucumbers. Rub the cut ends together to remove bitterness. (Key Tip!) The stem end has a stronger bitterness, so this step will make them tastier. You can skip this if your cucumbers have very little bitterness, like those from a home garden.
    🕒 05:15
15. Once no more bitterness appears, rinse the cut ends, pat dry, and cut off the other ends.
    🕒 05:44
16. Peel the cucumbers with a peeler, creating striped patterns.
    🕒 06:03
17. Drain the water from the treated eggplants and pat them thoroughly dry.
    🕒 06:23
18. Place the prepared eggplants into a large zip-top bag that they will fit into.
    🕒 06:34
19. Add half of the prepared kombu and half of the sliced red chili pepper to the bag with the eggplant.
    🕒 06:44
20. In a separate zip-top bag, place the prepared cucumbers along with the remaining kombu and red chili pepper.
    🕒 06:55
21. Divide the smashed garlic from the cooled marinade and add it to each bag.
    🕒 07:08
22. Pour half of the remaining marinade into each bag.
    🕒 07:22
23. Gently massage the bags to ensure the marinade coats everything evenly.
    🕒 07:30
24. Remove excess air from the bags and seal them.
    🕒 07:36
25. Place each bag in a tray and refrigerate overnight for marinating. Flip the bags once or twice during marinating to ensure even flavor distribution.
    🕒 08:03
26. Remove the marinated eggplant and cucumber from the refrigerator. Insert a skewer through the center for easy eating. Done!
    🕒 08:18