Andrea2 wrote:
> That is how my Japanese mother fixed them. After removing the skins
> she cut them into long strips and ate them with soy sauce, ground
> ginger root and a dash of red pepper.
>
> I sometimes fix them that way when I have the grill going. Other times
> I put them in a hot oven. I always use the Japanese eggplant, long
> skinny ones, I don't think the big round ones would cook in the
> middle.

My mom is Japanese also. I don't remember her ever making eggplant that
way, but for sure, there were few dishes she didn't eat with soy sauce,
ground ginger and red pepper.

I do recall her fixing a dish of tiny little eggplants; I think she
roasted them -- perhaps with miso -- and they were just wonderful. I
never got the recipe though. I don't think I could find eggplants that
small around here, either, but I'd be willing to put a few in the
garden if I knew what to do with them. Maybe I'll try growing some of
the Japanese eggplant.

A Japanese restaurant I used to frequent years ago had an appetizer
that consisted of a single eggplant slice about 3/4 inch thick (a
crosswise slice, not a lengthwise slice). It had the skin still on and
was brushed with sesame oil and broiled and served hot with a dipping
sauce of mashed avocado blended with sesame oil, soy sauce and maybe
some rice vinegar (I'm guessing here...). Good stuff, but again... I
don't have a recipe. I guess I should do some experimentation in the
kitchen.

Cindy