This Japanese Style Braised Eggplant Recipe is simple to prepare and a healthy dish. Braised eggplant or 茄子の煮びたし (nasu no nibitashi) is cooked with soy sauce and ginger. It isn’t often served at restaurants, except as appetizer in izakayas (Japanese bars). However, it is often served at home as a side dish or main meal because it is super easy to prepare.
Tips for Making Japanese Style Braised Eggplant Recipe
Braised eggplant can be eaten either at room temperature or chilled. I recommend trying both and seeing which one you prefer.
I recommend making this recipe with Japanese style eggplant if available. While you can make it with smaller eggplants, the long, thin Japanese-style eggplant are traditionally used in this recipe.
In this recipe I make small cuts on the skin of the eggplant. I recommend doing this because it will allow the eggplant to more evenly cook. In my opinion, it also looks better when serving the dish!
It is important to squeeze out the water of the grated Chinese radishes. If you don’t, the final dish will become watery, and won’t taste as good.
I recommend soaking the eggplant for at least 10 minutes before frying. This will remove the pungency from the eggplant and make the dish taste better.
It is also important to remove the moisture from the surface of the eggplant before frying. Failing to do this step will ruin the texture of the eggplant. By wiping away the water before frying, the fried eggplant will have a firm texture. Without wiping away the water, the fried eggplant will be soft and flexible.
Japanese Style Braised Eggplant Recipe
This Japanese Style Braised Eggplant Recipe is simple to prepare and a healthy dish. Braised eggplant or 茄子の煮びたし (nasu no nibitashi) is cooked with soy sauce and ginger, and topped with green onions and grated Chinese radish.
