Steps

1. Trim the stems off 3 Japanese eggplants and peel the remaining parts by hand. Scrape off the hard green parts with the tip of a knife.
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2. Cut the eggplants lengthwise into 4 pieces. If lengthwise cutting is difficult, cut them diagonally into 2cm thick pieces. (Key Tip!) Cut them to a uniform thickness so they cook evenly.
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3. Place the cut eggplants in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar, and mix to coat. (Key Tip!) The osmotic pressure from the salt and sugar draws out excess moisture, which purges bitterness and helps prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil when cooked.
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4. Let it sit for about 5 minutes after mixing.
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5. While waiting, prepare the sauce. In a bowl, combine Soy Sauce 1 tbsp (1.5 tbsp if using dark soy sauce), Cooking Sake (Rice Wine) 2 tbsp, Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine) 2 tbsp, Water 2 tbsp, Sugar 1/2 tbsp, and MSG (Umami Seasoning) a pinch (4-5 shakes from the bottle). Mix lightly.
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6. After 5 minutes, pat the moisture from the eggplants dry with paper towels on both sides. (Key Tip!) Wiping off the moisture prevents them from absorbing too much oil and becoming greasy.
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7. Before cooking, prepare a large bowl with a generous amount of all-purpose flour.
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8. Heat about 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan over low heat.
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9. Place half of the cut eggplants in the flour and shake the bowl to coat both sides. Then, tap off the excess flour. (Key Tip!) If you don't tap off the excess flour, it will absorb too much oil and make the dish greasy, so be careful.
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10. Place the floured eggplants in the heated frying pan. If the oil doesn't cover the eggplants evenly, add a little more oil gradually.
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11. Once a nice golden brown color appears on one side, flip them and cook the other side until golden brown as well. (Key Tip!) Coating with flour before frying helps the eggplant hold its shape, even when cooked to a tender consistency.
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12. Once both sides are browned, transfer the eggplants to a plate.
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13. Clean the frying pan with paper towels, add a little oil, and cook the remaining half of the eggplants in the same manner. Add more oil gradually if needed.
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14. Once all eggplants are cooked, clean the frying pan again, remove from heat, and let it cool slightly.
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15. Pour the prepared sauce into the frying pan and heat over low heat. (Key Tip!) If you add the sauce while the pan is hot, it will reduce too quickly. Turn off the heat, add the sauce, then turn it back on to low.
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16. Once the sauce starts to boil, return the cooked eggplants to the pan and coat them with the sauce as it reduces. (Key Tip!) The flour on the eggplant will thicken the sauce, so coat them quickly.
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17. Serve over rice and garnish with nori or chopped scallions if desired. Adding sansho pepper or ichimi chili pepper is also delicious.
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