Do you adore eggplant? This Eggplant Agebitashi could be your new favorite for eggplant recipes. The long, slender Japanese eggplant is first deep-fried until crispy brown, then soaked in flavorful dashi and soy sauce-based broth.
While growing up in Japan, my mother made a lot of eggplant dishes and it always made me wondered what was so good about eggplant. Personally, I prefer crunchy and crispy foods, and mushy, soft eggplant was not one of my favorite vegetables.
After I came to the U.S. and tried more varieties of eggplant dishes, I started to love eggplant. One of the eggplant recipes I was crazy about was a grilled eggplant sandwich with roasted bell pepper.
Then I started to make Japanese eggplant dishes which I didn’t care much for before. Today’s recipe, Eggplant Agebitashi (茄子の揚げ浸し) has become one of my favorite go-to eggplant menus.
What is Eggplant Agebitashi
Agebitashi means deep-fried and soaked. The dish is composed of deep-fried eggplant soaked in light dashi and soy sauce-based broth.
It’s a simple dish, yet you’ll be surprised how delicious eggplant can be after it absorbed all the flavors in the dashi broth. If you’re a fan of eggplant, I know you’re going to love this dish!
Helpful Cooking Techniques
This dish requires some Japanese cooking techniques that you might not be familiar with. So let’s go over them first.
Tip 1: Suage (素揚げ)
Deep frying vegetables without coating any flour or batter is called Suage in Japanese. Su means natural or uncoated in this case, and age (pronounce a-geh) means deep-frying. You might wonder what’s the idea behind deep frying eggplants.
Suage removes the bitterness of ingredients (such as in eggplant) and coating with oil prevents de-coloration of the eggplant. By cooking with oil, eggplant maintains its beautiful color. The eggplant will absorb oil first but then will release it after cooking.
Brief deep frying in hot oil makes the ingredients crispy on the outside, and the remaining heat will slowly cook the inside of the ingredients. Once cooked, the tender eggplant easily absorbs the broth.
You could also shallow fry eggplants. However, you have to make sure that the eggplant skin is nicely coated with oil at all times. I suggest to combine the eggplant and oil in a large bowl first and rub the eggplant completely with oil with your hands first before you shallow fry. If you don’t, the water and moisture escaping from the eggplant will discolor and result in patchy skin.
Tip 2: Kakushibocho (隠し包丁)
Light scoring of the ingredients is called Kakushi-bocho in Japanese. Kakushi or kakusu means hidden and hide, and Bocho or hocho means a knife. This technique is used so that
- The heat will go through the ingredient more easily
- Flavors (of the broth or seasonings) will be absorbed better
- Ingredient will be easier to cut with chopsticks
Technically, we score the ingredient without making it too visible (so when you serve, it’s not obvious). That’s how the name “kakushi” or “hidden” comes from.
We use this technique for ingredients that are hard to cook through and absorb flavors such as daikon, eggplant, and konnyaku.
How much should we score? It really depends on the thickness of the ingredient, but remember not to score too deeply otherwise it might break the ingredient apart.
The same technique could also be called Kazari-bocho when the scoring looks pretty on the ingredient such as this eggplant. The purpose of scoring is the same, but it also looks decorative (“kazari”) so that’s how the name comes about.
Can’t make good incisions? Sharpen your knife and practice will make it perfect. 🙂
Make Vegetarian Eggplant Agebitashi
You might wonder if this can be a vegetarian dish. Sure you can! Replace Awase Dashi (bonito flakes + kombu dashi) to Kombu dashi and at the end don’t sprinkle bonito flakes. As easy as that!
Make Eggplant Agebitashi Gluten-Free
Many of you requested gluten-free recipes (thank you!), so I actually made this dish with gluten-free soy sauce. Of course, you can use regular soy sauce and you don’t need to adjust anything in the recipe.
Kikkoman offers 3 varieties of gluten-free soy sauce, but for this recipe, I used regular gluten-free soy sauce (left) which tastes just like regular soy sauce. If you want to know more about this product, click here.
I hope you enjoy making this Eggplant Agebitashi recipe! If you try it, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook. Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!
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Eggplant Agebitashi
Video
Ingredients
- 2 Japanese/Chinese eggplant (10 oz, 283 g)
- 2 cups neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc) (for deep frying)
- 3 inch daikon radish (green top part for sweet taste)
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm)
- ⅓ cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
Sauce
- ¾ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more)
- 3 Tbsp mirin
- 3 Tbsp sake
- 3 Tbsp gluten-free soy sauce (can be regular soy sauce)
- 1 heaping Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients and mix it all together. Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat (keep it covered so the sauce doesn’t evaporate).
- In a deep frying pot/saucepan, add the deep-frying oil and bring it to 320ºF (160ºC).
- Check if the oil has reached at 320ºF (160ºC) by putting the wooden chopsticks into the oil. If you see the small bubbles coming from the chopsticks, the oil is ready.
- While waiting for the oil, we prepare the eggplant. Usually, eggplant is soaked in water to prevent discoloration. For this recipe, however, we avoid soaking in water because we will need to deep fry it without coating. You must cut the eggplant right before deep-frying to avoid changing color. Discard the tops of the eggplant and cut in half lengthwise.
- Make incisions on the eggplant diagonally (or cut in a crisscross pattern). Do not cut through, and the intervals should be ⅛ inch (3 mm).
- Cut each eggplant into 3-4 sections. Make sure to wipe off any moisture with paper towel.
- Gently put a few pieces of eggplant, skin facing down, and deep fry for 2 to 2.5 minutes. If you put too many pieces of (cold) eggplant in the oil, the oil temperature will decrease too fast and it gets mushy and greasy. So do not overcrowd the pot. If you realize the oil temperature is too low, take out the eggplant and wait till the oil reaches the right temperature. Remove from the oil and drain on a wire rack, skin facing up. Deep fry the next batch, until all the eggplant pieces are deep-fried.
- When the eggplants are cooled, transfer to a rimmed container or dish. Heat up the sauce until hot and then pour the hot sauce over to soak the eggplant for several hours (at least 1 hour). If you serve this dish chilled, put it in the refrigerator.
- While soaking, peel the skin of daikon and grate.
- Cut green onion and grate ginger.
To Serve
- Put the eggplant in a serving dish and sprinkle some katsuobushi. Put grated daikon and grated ginger on top. Pour the sauce over and garnish with green onion. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
OMG!!! What a fantastic vegetable dish for the super hot summer days to come! I made it yesterday and had today for dinner. I had 5 nasubi, now I have for another couple of dinners! So delicious!
Hi Sharon! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish very much! Happy Cooking!
Hi Nami,
Thank you for this recipe. I have been making many dishes from your website during Covid and I love them all. Your flavor is spot on.
I was wondering if I could bake the eggplant instead of deep fry/pan fry. Eggplant absorbs oil so well, so maybe it will be lighter if it’s baked, perhaps with a light brush of oil.
Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Natalie! Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed cooking many dishes from our site! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback!
Yes. You can bake the eggplant if you prefer. Please make sure to brush some oil on the skin of the eggplant so that the color would be lovely purple.🙂
We hope this helps!
Hello Namiko!
I cannot seem to find mirin but did manage to see hon-mirin. What’s the difference between mirin and hon-mirin and can it be used as a substitute for dishes that call for mirin?
Hi Rachel! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The main difference between Mirin and Hon-Mirin is the usage of sake in Mirin instead of shochu.
You can learn more about it in this post:https://www.justonecookbook.com/mirin/
And Yes, you can use Hon-Mirin for dishes call for Mirin.
We hope this helps!
This was absolutely delicious and so easy too! Will definitely be making this again and again and again 🙂
Hi Ping!
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed this dish!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.😊
I grew Japanese eggplant this summer, and found this recipe for my first harvest. It was delicious! My new favorite way to eat Japanese eggplant. Can’t wait for the next ones to ripen.
Hi Jennifer! Wow I’m so jealous of your homegrown Japanese eggplants! I’m sure this dish is extra delicious with your eggplants. Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hello, Love your recipes and my daughter and I have made many between the two of us.
I am looking at the YouTube of Eggplant Agebitashi and really like that grater you are using. I looked on Amazon and at your site of kitchen tools but did not see it. Can you please let me know where I can buy one? Daughter is in Orinda and I am in Northern VA.
Thanks!
Marilyn Miyamoto
Hi Marilyn! I used to have that grater when I only had a small ceramic grater and I really didn’t like the texture of the grated daikon that grater produced. It’s very…. rough. So I replaced it with this large ceramic grater (https://amzn.to/2TSGjgz) and I love it so much. I use it for daikon, nagaimo, ginger, garlic, apple, a lot of things, and it gives nice juice and it’s finely grated. I can’t recommend that enough. 🙂
Ohhh! Orinda! I used to go to a college nearby. Small, but very safe town. It’s so nice to hear you two cook and share the experience together! Thank you so much for trying my recipes. 🙂
Thank you so much for your hard work, Nami (it is just so fitting that your name happens to translate as “yummy” in Finnish) This recipe has become my all time favourite, followed by more than ten dishes all learnt from you. ❤️ I can’t wait to try some more!
Hi Marika! That’s what I heard! No wonder I love food! 😀 I’m so happy you like this dish. It takes some time to deep fry and etc, but it’s all worth it at the end! I love the extra effort put in this recipe. Thank you so much for your kind words and you made my day! xo
One of the best recipes ever :). Made it again tonight and it was a hit with our guests as well. Absolutely lovely dish. Thank you Nami!
Hi Ina! I’m so glad you and your guests enjoyed this dish! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! 🙂
Is there a reason that more soy/mirin is used and no additional salt? In other recipes, like the soba noodle soup, salt is used in addition to soy and mirin. Is there some guidelines as to when to use what ingredient combinations?
Hi Scott! Salt is added to enhance the flavor and give the existing taste a bit boost. Sometimes you do not need to add an extra condiment to make the taste “right”. So if I feel like it is a bit bland or needs a kick, I would add salt to see how it goes. Adding extra condiment not only introduce the taste of the condiment itself but more complex flavors, which sometimes is not necessary. It’s not all about the combination. Salt should be the last one to add to “fix” or “boost” the flavors. Flavor profile should be made with condiments first before adding salt. Hope this answered your question?
Hi Nami, yes that answers my questions! I love the amount of seasoning you use and I always trust your ratios over other recipes. Other recipes online always come out under seasoned and don’t have a strong flavor like I remember from Japan. Thank you for all your recipes!
Hi Scott! I’m glad to hear that helped. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words. We just have a similar tastebud. 😉 I’m happy we can enjoy a similar taste!
Can the eggplant be boiled instead of fried?
Hi Angela! You can, but it will be a very different dish. Agebitashi always requires deep frying the eggplant (or ingredient) in oil (even you use a small amount of oil to shallow fry). 🙂
Nami-san!! This recipe was delicious. My father, who is the picky one of the family, said it was delicious and unique! I love all the recipes you have! Growing up in Hawaii we ate many of these foods and moving the the mainland has made it difficult to find these things at a good price!
ONE QUESTION: When I cooked the eggplants it became quite mushy around 3/4 inch of the outer layer while the interior was firmer. Also the eggplant retained quite a bit of the oil, even after it had cooled and drained. Does the depth of suage contribute to this?
Hi Grace! I’m so happy to hear your father enjoyed this recipe and thank you for kind words!
Do you think your eggplants were possibly overcooked? It should be just cooked, still somehow firm but not raw… Also it’s possible that the eggplant was fried at lower temperature? Maybe absorbed too much oil due to low temp?
Would this side dish go well with teriyaki salmon+spinach seasoned with sesame or with kayoudofu with shrimp+pickled cucumber? Or do you have any other suggestion as long as it doesn’t have chicken with it for cold weather?
Hi Kessia! I think either choice sound wonderful to me. Pretty well-planned either way! 🙂
hello nami,
this is my new favorite way to prepare eggplant! loved learning the kakushi-bocho technique. totemo oishii!!! i used baby lahaina eggplants, refreshing even though it’s fried and it was delicious cold. mahalo for sharing…
regards,
tina
Hi Tina! I’m so happy you enjoyed this dish! I enjoy eggplant more as I became adult, and this is definitely one of my favorite too! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
I loved it! It’s so amazing that a simple dish like this can taste so wonderful.
I’m looking for more vegetable rich/vegetarian dishes as I’m cutting out my meat consumption to absolute minimum, and this one is going to be a frequent guest on my plate.
Thank you Nami for your blog.
Hi Yanna! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 xo
I’ve been trying to tweet you but for some reason it didn’t work… @justonecookbook I’m wondering about the meaning of ‘agebitashi’… As I understand age means deep fried, and if you simmer some ingredient in broth then we have ‘dashi’? So, we can make agedashi tofu or agedashi nasu? What is then the difference between nasu agebitashi and agedashi nasu? Does ‘bitashi’ have other more specific meaning than ‘dashi’?
Hi Genus! Oh, really? Wonder why I’m not getting your tweet.
For Agebitashi
Age = deep fried
Bitashi –> “Hitasu (verb)” = “Soak”, but the verb turning to noun “Hitashi”, but with the word in front (Age), H becomes B… and Bitashi.
Agedashi Tofu
Age = deep fried
Dashi = the dashi broth = that goes on top of deep fried tofu.
Tofu = Tofu
Agedashi Tofu does not involve any “soaking” while Agebitashi involves “soaking”.
Hope this makes sense. 🙂
Thank you Nami, now I think I get it… So, if I deep fry my eggplants and then soak or cook them in dashi so the dish will be called “Nasu agebitashi” (age+hitasu). But if I take my eggplants, deep fry them and serve with dashi poured over eggplants without soaking/cooking, then I will call this dish “Agedashi nasu” (age + dashi)?
So interesting with japanese language! I there any difference if the word Nasu is placed first or last in dih names/recipes?
Have a nice day Nami!
Hi Genus! Yes, Agedashi Nasu or Nasu no Agedashi… somehow these two words can go front or back vice versa. I think it’s more like how often you see the name of menu. I see Agedashi Tofu almost 100% but not Tofu Agedashi. But I see Agedashi Nasu or Nasu no Agedashi both…
Sorry, I know Japanese can be so confusing without rules sometimes.
Oh thank you Nami! I’m so happy to read this post even more than all other recipes since it is a vegetarian/vegan dish! I have to say I’ve already read about eggplant agebitashi and I prepare it regularly. The recipe I first read uses kakuchi bocho technique as well but then instead for suage they will fry the eggplant halves in a small wok/frying pan as the first step. I think it can be a good idea sometimes because it goes faster than deep frying. I’ve never deep fried the eggplants to make this dish but pan frying seems to work ok too, as the taste of this dish is heavenly…
Thank you for the review on gluten free soy varietes!
Have a nice weekend!
Hi Genus! Glad to hear you liked this recipe already! I usually prefer to eat vegetables more than meat, so I hope to include more vegetarian recipes on my blog. Thanks for sharing how you have been making this dish. Even in Japan, there are many different ways to make this same dish. I like to share an authentic method when I can, but hope to share a shortcut or different variations in the future (so I won’t run out of my recipes. Hehee). 😉
I made this for dinner this evening. It was outstanding! The daikon and ginger condiments are amazing. Many, many thanks, Nami, for your great blog.
Hi Debbi! I’m so happy to hear that! This is one of my favorite eggplant recipes for sure! Thank you for trying this recipe and writing your kind feedback. 🙂
Hiya! What a lovely looking dish! I definetly want to try this, however i do have a small question.
You let it set for an hour in the hot broth mixture, does it need to be in the fridge? And do you eat it at room temperature or do you reheat it?
lots of Love
Skye
Hi Skye! I mentioned in the last step, but if you like to serve at room temp, you can keep it out while soaking, and if you like to serve chilled, you can put it in the fridge. 🙂 But if it’s hot day and food might spoiled, I’d put it in the fridge. Hope this helps, and enjoy!
I’m so glad I found you!! My mom is from Japan and is a wonderful cook but I didn’t take after her in that department (>.<') I don't live near her anymore so I'm glad I can just look up recipes on your website, FB, and IG and find something fun and new to try! Thank you!
Hi Denise! Welcome to my blog! I think anyone can cook after practicing for sometime. I have a lot of readers who never cooked before told me they now cook many Japanese dishes at home just following my recipes. I hope my recipes will inspire you to cook your mom’s cooking! You will remember how your mom seasoned her dishes, so you will be able to replicate one day! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Recently, we found we are allergic to gluten but fortunately only moderately and now I have to adjust my recipes. We would appreciate gluten free options with your recipes.
Finding out by trial and error that we have a problem with gluten is life changing as we love food…..especially Japanese and Chinese food.
We would be appreciative if you could give us gluten-free alternatives with your recipes. We are seniors and of course, our digestive systems at this stage of life causes us some difficulty at times.
Thank you, Linda Y.
Hi Linda! I’m sorry to hear you found out about gluten intolerance. I’ll be adding more GF recipes in the future. 🙂
I cannot wait to try this. My husband LOVES nasubi, even just baked, split open, and seasoned with shoyu. Luckily we live in Hawaii where nasubi is widely available.
Hi Deborah! I hope you and your husband will enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Hi, Nami,
This looks great and I plan to try it. What can I combine it with to make it a more complete meal? Could it be served with rice or over rice?
Domo arigato gozaimasu.
Janna
Hi Janna! This is more like an appetizer, so it will go with any Japanese main dish. But if you’re vegetarian, you can definitely serve this as a main dish with rice (or over rice, if you prefer). 🙂 Arigato for checking this recipe!
Hi Nami,
Thanks for this, one of my all time Japanese dishes and definitely the best way to eat Aubergine! ????
Thanks again
Simon
Hi Simon! Thank you for checking this recipe! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂