It's still incredibly hot in Japan, and vegetable prices have been fluctuating a lot — some are expensive, while others are more affordable. I can only imagine how tough this heat must be for farmers.
One of the best ways to bring out the flavors of summer vegetables is the Japanese dish agebitashi. In this dish, vegetables are lightly fried and then marinated in a flavorful sauce with dashi stock. To help the vegetables last longer, I seasoned the marinade a little more strongly than usual.
While eggplant is the classic choice for agebitashi, using a variety of vegetables adds vibrant colors and makes the dish look beautiful on the plate.
A Cheesy Finish
As a finishing touch, I added Gouda cheese on top. Any hard or semi-hard cheese works well. Gouda is a classic Dutch cheese with a mild, creamy flavor. Some varieties are aged for a richer taste. Using a cheese slicer creates fine, delicate shreds, but a grater works perfectly, too.
On a hot day, chilled agebitashi paired with a crisp, cold beer (or any icy, fizzy beverage) is simply delightful. Other alcoholic pairings, like chilled sake or white wine, also work beautifully. Each bite releases the savory flavors of the vegetables along with the broth — a burst of umami that's pure happiness. I hope you give it a try!
Ingredients (serves 4)
- Eggplant: 3
- Asparagus: 3
- Sweet long green peppers: 3
- Red bell pepper: 1
- Pumpkin: 1/8 piece
- Green beans: 3
- Gouda cheese: 40 g
- Kombu kelp and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) for dashi: 2 cups
- Soy sauce: 3 tbsp
- Sake: 2 tbsp
- Mirin: 2 tbsp
- Salt: a pinch
- Vegetable oil (or any neutral oil): as needed
Instructions
- In a pot, heat the kombu and katsuobushi to make dashi. Add soy sauce, sake, mirin, and salt. Bring to a quick boil, then turn off the heat.
- Prepare the vegetables:
- Cut eggplant into wedges.
- Peel the bottom of the asparagus and cut into thirds.
- Remove stems and seeds from peppers and cut into wedges.
- Remove seeds from pumpkin and slice thinly.
- Cut green beans in half.
- Fry the vegetables: Pat them dry with paper towels. Heat vegetable oil to 180°C (356°F) in a pot and fry the vegetables until crisp. Remove and drain on a paper-lined tray.
- Place the hot fried vegetables in a deep container and pour the dashi from step 1 over them. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve the vegetables on plates and sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy!
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Yuki Hayami, The Sankei Shimbun
