Grilled Eggplant with Katsuo Sauce
Grilled Eggplant with Katsuo Sauce is a home-style vegetable dish at difficulty 2/5 (Easy), about 326 kcal. Grilled Eggplant with Katsuo Sauce is a home-style dish featuring a sweet and sa. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.
2 / 5
★★☆☆☆
326 kcal
Ingredients
- Eggplant
- Katsuo Sauce (grilled eel sauce)
- Honey
- Sugar
- Light Soy Sauce
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Cooking Wine
- Water
Steps
- Peel the eggplant and cut it horizontally into two pieces.
- Steam for 5 minutes.
- Make an incision lengthwise, but do not cut all the way through. Cut slits on each cut side to allow the flesh to flatten out (approx. 2-3 slits).
- Fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Pour the Katsuo sauce over the eggplant until it covers about half the height of the vegetable.
- Fry until the back side is colored, then flip it over.
- Simultaneously reduce the sauce. If the sauce cannot reduce, add a slurry of water and cornstarch (ratio of starch to water should be 1:4 to 1:10 depending on the reduction needs).
- Pour the remaining Katsuo sauce over the eggplant.
- Serve. A serving of grilled Katsuo eggplant is ready.
Notes
Grilled Eggplant with Katsuo Sauce is a home-style dish featuring a sweet and savory blend of flavors, inspired by Japanese Katsuo-bushi flavor but cooked using Chinese stir-frying methods. Rich in dietary fiber and vitamins, it helps clear heat and promote blood circulation. The difficulty is moderate; beginners need a little patience, and the estimated preparation time is about 30 minutes.
Estimated Difficulty: ★★☆
Estimated Calories: 326 kcal
Calculations:
- Amount of oil depends on the type of pan you are using.
- Non-stick pan: Oil will gather into droplets once hot; spread them across the area of the eggplant.
- Iron pan: When spreading the oil, it should cover the bottom of the pan exactly.
- 1 long eggplant (tapering from top to bottom). Note: Do not use 'Zhe' (lanceolate) or round eggplants.
- 1 set of Katsuo Sauce:
- 20 ml Honey
- 15 ml Sugar
- 40 ml Light Soy Sauce
- 10 ml Dark Soy Sauce
- 20 ml Cooking Wine
- 100 ml Water
- This Katsuo style sauce is actually very Chinese; traditional Japanese Katsuo-bushi sauce is grilled.
- The 'soul' of the dish is actually the Katsuo sauce; you can also buy ready-made commercial sauce.
- If you find it too rich, sprinkle some finely chopped green onions (2-5mm thick) on the dish before serving; it adds color and breaks up the monotony.
- We highly recommend 'Zhe' eggplant for fried eggplant dishes (e.g., Fish-Flavored Eggplant, Garlic Stir-fried Eggplant). The long shape is perfect for cutting into chunks, and the skin is tender, so you don't need to peel it like in this recipe. The flavor is mild and moderate.
If you encounter any issues or find improvements to the workflow according to this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull Request.