aubergine Archives | the non-japanese cook

The nights are drawing in, and since September my menus have been gradually changing to counteract the chillier weather. More and more, I’ve been turning to those knobbly, underground, secretive vegetables – the ones we always abandon around April and rediscover towards Christmas. This time around, I’m also unearthing the meanings behind homely Japanese dishes such as shigure-ni and takikomi-gohan. Also featured in this post is a sweet treat I brought back from Japan to share with you – but don’t worry, it still fits with the root vegetable theme!

butaniku to yasai no shigure-ni / pork belly and root vegetable stew
takikomi-gohan / variety rice
miso soup with aubergines and chives – previously featured here
radish misozuke – previously featured here
kimpira parsnip / soy-simmered parsnip
BONUS SHOW & TELL: murasaki-imo yōkan / sweet potato jelly

As always, read on for more details and cooking tips.

It’s been a crazy summer here – we’ve had lots going on, including a fantastic trip to Japan (more on that story later)! My kitchen experiments have continued unabated, so I’m going to catch up now for lost blogging with a big spread of fun and satisfying dishes. As the title suggests, this meal was actually to celebrate my wife’s birthday, so it’s mostly her requests! (Try to spot the weird extra I couldn’t resist sneaking in, courtesy of Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art.)

miso soup with aubergine and chives
butaniku shōgayaki / ginger fried pork (with mushrooms)
kimpira ninjin / sticky simmered carrot
horenso no ohitashi / spinach in flavoured stock
budō no karashi-ae /grapes with miso-mustard dressing
kyūri no o-tsukemono / cucumber pickle
mikan / satsuma

Read on for my notes…

aubergine

autumnal eats: shigure-ni, takikomi-gohan and more

ichiju-sansai / 1 soup 3 sides : birthday spread