Steps

1. Prepare a bowl. Trim the very tips of the stems from 3 eggplants and remove the remaining tough parts with a knife.
   🕒 01:30
2. Cut the prepared eggplant into bite-sized, irregular pieces.
   🕒 02:20
3. Place the cut eggplant in a bowl, add 1 pinch of salt and 2 pinches of sugar, and mix thoroughly. This is the key! Salting the eggplant compresses its porous interior, preventing it from absorbing too much oil.
   🕒 02:49
4. Transfer the salted eggplant to a colander and let it sit for about 5 minutes to drain excess moisture.
   🕒 05:03
5. Remove the tough stems from 2 bunches of perilla leaves by hand and tear them into bite-sized pieces. This is the key! Tearing the perilla leaves by hand enhances their aroma, ensuring a burst of flavor when eaten with meat and eggplant.
   🕒 05:12
6. Spread out the torn perilla leaves so they don't overlap, then wrap them in plastic wrap.
   🕒 06:33
7. Prepare a plastic bag. Use a knife to remove only the thin, silvery membranes from 4 chicken tenderloins.
   🕒 07:58
8. Cut the prepared chicken tenderloin into bite-sized pieces, similar in size to the eggplant (about 5 pieces per tenderloin).
   🕒 08:33
9. Place the cut chicken tenderloin in a plastic bag, add 1 pinch of salt, and shake the bag to distribute evenly.
   🕒 08:48
10. Add 1 tbsp of potato starch to the bag with the salted chicken tenderloin, and shake again to coat evenly. This is the key! Coating with potato starch helps retain moisture, keeping the meat juicy and allowing the sauce to adhere better.
    🕒 09:46
11. In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp miso, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp cooking sake, and 1 tsp sugar. Mix well until dissolved.
    🕒 10:47
12. Thoroughly wipe off the excess moisture from the eggplant (left to sit for 5+ minutes) with paper towels. This is the key! Wiping off the moisture prevents it from 'fighting' with the oil and becoming stewed.
    🕒 11:49
13. Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat and add a generous amount of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the eggplant skin-side down. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, coating the eggplant with oil as it cooks.
    🕒 12:54
14. Flip the eggplant and continue to stir-fry until tender (about 3.5 minutes). It's done when you can easily pierce it with chopsticks.
    🕒 14:52
15. Transfer the stir-fried eggplant to a bowl.
    🕒 15:44
16. Add a little more oil to the same frying pan and lay out the chicken tenderloin pieces one by one. Cook slowly over medium-low heat.
    🕒 15:59
17. Once the surface of the chicken tenderloin turns white, flip it over and cook slowly until cooked through. This is the key! High heat will make the chicken dry; cooking slowly over medium-low heat keeps it juicy.
    🕒 16:34
18. Once the chicken tenderloin is cooked, return the stir-fried eggplant to the pan and mix gently. Push the ingredients to the side of the pan and add the prepared sauce mixture to the empty space.
    🕒 18:29
19. Bring the sauce mixture to a boil and cook to evaporate the alcohol and concentrate the flavors.
    🕒 19:01
20. Quickly toss everything together to coat with the boiling sauce mixture.
    🕒 19:11
21. Add half of the torn perilla leaves and mix briefly. Add the remaining half and toss to combine. This is the key! Simply stirring in the perilla leaves after turning off the heat is enough. Overcooking them will diminish their flavor, so enjoy them while they're fresh.
    🕒 19:42