#361 Better Than Pickles! Juicy & Crunchy Cold Mizunasu Eggplant Soup Salad | Appetizer | Italian

Overview

In this video, Chef Daisuke Yamane of the Osaka Italian restaurant "Ponte Vecchio" introduces a cold soup salad made with mizunasu (water eggplant) called "Mizunasu Amino Acid Soup." This appetizer combines mizunasu, cucumber, myoga ginger, and young ginger with a rich, umami-packed amino acid soup made from clam dashi, fruit tomatoes, kombu, and basil. It features the crunchy texture of mizunasu, which can be enjoyed like pickles, and the juiciness of the cold soup. Infused with Italian elements like tarragon, sudachi citrus, and extra virgin olive oil, this dish beautifully fuses Japanese ingredients. It is presented as a professional recipe for a summer appetizer that you can easily recreate at home.

Key Tips

• Prep
  • Peel the mizunasu in a striped pattern (zebra peeling), cut into bite-sized pieces, sprinkle with salt, and massage gently to remove excess moisture and bitterness.
• Prep
  • Thinly slice the cucumber, julienne the myoga, and thinly slice the young ginger, then soak them in water to maintain their crisp texture.
• Soup Prep
  • Use clam dashi obtained by steaming clams with sake. It is rich in umami (amino acids) and serves as the base of the soup.
• Soup Prep
  • Blend the fruit tomatoes into a puree, add them to the clam dashi along with the kombu and basil sprig, and heat gently over low heat to extract the maximum umami without overheating.
• Soup Prep
  • Make sure to thoroughly chill the soup before using. If it is warm, it will ruin the crisp texture of the vegetables, so rapidly cooling it over ice water is recommended.
• Seasoning
  • Squeeze sudachi citrus at the end to add acidity and a fresh citrus aroma, and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil for richness and flavor.
• Plating
  • Arrange the vegetables in the bowl first, then pour in the cold soup and scatter tarragon and basil leaves to add aroma and vibrant color.
• Ingredients
  • Mizunasu from Senshu, Osaka is ideal. With its thin skin and high water content, it is perfect for eating raw and can be enjoyed like a fresh pickle.
• Ingredients
  • Using fruit tomatoes creates a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity in the soup while enhancing its umami profile.

* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon

• 2mizunasu (water eggplants)
• 1/2cucumber
• 2myoga ginger buds
• 1/3young ginger
• Onion,to taste
• 5gtarragon
• 5gbasil
• Sudachicitrus, to taste
• Extravirgin olive oil, to taste
• 500gclam dashi (for amino acid soup)
• 200gfruit tomatoes (for amino acid soup)
• 15gkombu (for amino acid soup)
• 1sprig basil (for amino acid soup)

Instructions

1. 1

   [Make the amino acid soup] Steam clams with sake to extract 500g of clam dashi.

2. 2

   Blend 200g of fruit tomatoes in a blender until pureed.

3. 3

   In a pot, combine the clam dashi, tomato puree, 15g of kombu, and 1 sprig of basil. Heat over low heat without letting it boil to extract the umami (do not boil, as kombu releases its best flavor at 60–70°C / 140–158°F).

4. 4

   Strain the soup to remove the basil and kombu, then quickly chill it by placing the bowl over ice water.

5. 5

   [Prep the vegetables] Peel the mizunasu in a striped pattern (zebra peeling) and cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt, massage gently, and let sit for about 5 minutes to draw out bitterness and excess moisture, then rinse quickly with water.

6. 6

   Thinly slice the cucumber, sprinkle with salt, and squeeze out excess moisture.

7. 7

   Julienne the myoga ginger and thinly slice the young ginger, then soak them in water to make them crisp.

8. 8

   Thinly slice the onion and soak in water to remove its sharpness.

9. 9

   [Finishing & Plating] Arrange the mizunasu, cucumber, myoga, young ginger, and onion beautifully in a serving bowl.

10. 10

    Pour the chilled amino acid soup into the bowl.

11. 11

    Squeeze sudachi juice over the dish and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

12. 12

    Scatter tarragon and basil leaves on top to finish.

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ポンテベッキオ山根大助の全力イタリアン

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