With thinly sliced eggplant seared till golden brown and coated with sweet soy sauce, this Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi is an incredibly delicious Japanese vegan rice bowl. Just 20 minutes start to finish!

Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi

INGREDIENTS

• 7 oz Japanese/Chinese eggplant (2 Japanese eggplants; if you use globe eggplant, cut into the wedges or rounds with skin on. Skin will keep the eggplant shape while cooking.)
• 10 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) (or use 1 green onion)
• 1 knob ginger
• 2 Tbsp potato starch/cornstarch
• 4 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (separated; use 2 Tbsp at a time)
• ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds

Seasonings

• 4 Tbsp mirin (Not exactly same, but substitute with 4 tsp sugar + 4 Tbsp sake/water; Please adjust the sweetness based on your preference; read more about mirin)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or use GF soy sauce for gluten-free)

US Customary - Metric

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.

   

2. Slice eggplant into ¼ inch slices and sprinkle salt (roughly ½-1 tsp). Set aside for 15 minutes and wipe off the moisture with a paper towel.

3. Rinse the shiso leaves and dry with a paper towel. Discard the stems.

4. Roll up the shiso leaves and cut into chiffonade strips.

5. Peel the ginger skin and grate the ginger. You’ll need 1 tsp ginger.

6. Put 2 Tbsp potato starch in a small tray and thinly coat the eggplant slices on both sides.

7. Heat the 2 Tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant slices in a single layer. Cook until the bottom side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Until then, do not touch the eggplants to achieve a nice sear.

8. When the bottom side is nicely seared, drizzle the rest of oil (2 Tbsp) on top and flip the eggplant slices to cook the other side, about 3-4 minutes.

9. Once this side is cooked till golden brown, reduce the heat to medium-low heat and add mirin, soy sauce, and grated ginger.

10. Bring it back to simmer and spoon the sauce over the eggplant a few times. If the sauce got thicken too fast (due to the potato starch), add 1 Tbsp water at a time to loosen a bit. Remove from the heat when the eggplant is well-coated with the sauce.

11. Serve steamed rice in a donburi bowl (a bit bigger than rice bowl) and drizzle some sauce.

12. Then place the eggplant slices on top. For presentation, I overlap each slice slightly. Garnish with shiso leaves and sprinkle sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

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