Japanese aubergines, moros and Moorish spices

We have lots of nasu or nasubi (aubergine or eggplant) in Summer here, many types and sizes. These small ones, I think are those known in the US as Japanese eggplants.
Moros, the Moors. Or black beans. And Moorish spices, that seem to be red pepper, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, pimentón…
This is a free adaptation of these stuffed aubergines by Rick Stein. The main change is it’s plant-based. I have not eaten the original but this version is delicious and perfect for the season.

So let’s use today’s market basket…

The kuromame (boiled black soy beans) as the meat.

The cheese-tasting sauce is sake kasu (sake lees) + miso, that I cooked a little, then I’ve added a lot of olive oil.

Baked !

Served with greens.

Okra.

Na no hana (rape blossoms)

Nasubi curry on the beach, with… guess what ?

The beach is under the flooring !
Nasubi kare is a popular Japanese curry with nasu AKA nasubi (aubergine, eggplant) and beef.

Plated version, with the *rice*.

Rice ? No, riced cauliflower.

This is the second round for this month Daring Cook’s Challenge. See the first recipe here.
The game was to use at least one item from each list :

List 1: Parsnips, Eggplant (aubergine), Cauliflower
List 2: Balsamic Vinegar, Goat Cheese, Chipotle peppers
List 3: Maple Syrup, Instant Coffee, Bananas

My pick :

List 1: Eggplant (aubergine), Cauliflower
List 2: Chipotle peppers (powdered)
List 3: GUESS WHAT !

Do you have an idea about the mysterious ingredient from the third list ? What would you try ?
Answer at the end of the post.

It’s slow-cooker art… I made the beef curry from scratch, it’s so much better than using “roux” and just throw in aubergines and meat.
Japanese curry mix, whole sweet spices, the hot chipotle powder, coconut butter, onions, veggie. Then, hours later, the aubergines, more garam masala to balance the taste.

Tadada !!! That was a delicious sweet curry.

Riced cauliflower is raw cauliflower cut like rice. You can’t make easier. I slightly steamed it after.

That makes you a tasty low-carb side for a dish with sauce.
So have you found the secret ingredient ? That’s really something I recommend as the effect is surprising. Before simmering, I added a banana in the sauce. It longly melted and caramelized. The banana taste become unidentifiable but you have a fruity feel. Try it someday.

Raw-bergine on Korean soba (via Gourmande in Osaka)

LY (to close this aubergine triology)

This plump aubergine (eggplant) is a mizu-nasu, water aubergine. It is cultivated to be eaten raw. Today, it will be eaten with cooled Korean buckwheat noodles. Here they are not topped with raspberry jelly but kochijan (gochuchang). Nameko, the funny mushroom and Seoul Summer noodles Korean-Osakan Bibin’men (cooled noodles) The mizu-nasu aubergines are simply cut and immediately bathed about 30 seconds in salted water till they slightly turn gre … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Mizunasu and matsutake ponzu

A little wind of end of Summer is blowing…
This eggplant, AKA aubergine is a mizu nasu. Water aubergine. Like you have water melon, there are these. The particularity is it’s eaten raw.
Another recipe with mizu nasu in next post.
I dipped it in a very fragrant sauce.

As you see, I’ve found tomatillos. Yippeee ! Oh, it’s common here…but only as a decoration for tombs. Very rare to get them to eat.

I sliced and cut. Salted. Let 15 minutes. Rinsed and squeeze.

Ponzu means a mix of soy sauce and citrus juice. Here it’s sudachi lemon. And I added slices of matsutake mushroom. It’s a wild taste mushroom very popular and high-priced in North Asia. More about it soon.

Raw-bergine on Korean soba

This plump aubergine (eggplant) is a mizu-nasu, water aubergine. It is cultivated to be eaten raw.

Today, it will be eaten with cooled Korean buckwheat noodles. Here they are not topped with raspberry jelly but kochijan (gochuchang).

Nameko, the funny mushroom and Seoul Summer noodles

Korean-Osakan Bibin’men (cooled noodles)

The mizu-nasu aubergines are simply cut and immediately bathed about 30 seconds in salted water till they slightly turn green. Then rinsed in fresh water.