Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi

Step 1

Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.

Step 2

Slice 2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Then, sprinkle with ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Set aside for 15 minutes, then wipe off the moisture with a paper towel.

Step 3

Rinse 10 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut off and discard the stems.

Step 4

Roll up the shiso leaves and cut them into chiffonade strips.

Step 5

Peel the ginger skin and grate the ginger (I use a ceramic grater). Then, measure 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice) and set aside.

Step 6

Put 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch in a small tray. Then, thinly coat both sides of the eggplant slices with the potato starch.

Step 7

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp of the 4 Tbsp neutral oil and distribute it in the pan. Then, add the eggplant slices in a single layer. Cook until the bottom side is golden brown, about 3–4 minutes. Until then, do not touch the eggplants in order to achieve a nice sear.

Step 8

When the bottom side is nicely seared, drizzle another 2 Tbsp of the oil on top of the eggplant and flip the slices to cook the other side for an additional 3–4 minutes.

Step 9

Once the second side is cooked to a golden brown color, reduce the heat to medium low. Add 4 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, and grated ginger.

Step 10

Bring it back to a simmer and spoon the sauce over the eggplant a few times. If the sauce thickens too fast (due to the potato starch), add 1 Tbsp water at a time to loosen it a bit. Remove from the heat when the eggplant is well-coated with the sauce.

Step 11

In individual donburi bowls (a bit bigger than rice bowls), divide the 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice and drizzle some sauce on top of the rice.

Step 12

Then, place the eggplant slices on top. For presentation, I overlap each slice slightly. Garnish on top with ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds and shiso leaves. Serve immediately.

Step 13

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and keep them for 3 days in the refrigerator or for up to a month in the freezer.