Name: Japanese-Style Pasta with Eggplant, Ume, and Shiso
Cuisine: イタリアン
Ingredients: 70g spaghettini; 1 Japanese long eggplant; 1 chicken tenderloin; 6g umeboshi plum paste; 6 shiso leaves; 1 clove garlic; 1 small red chili pepper; 12g white dashi (shiro-dashi); 120g water; A pinch of white sesame seeds; A pinch of shredded nori seaweed; Salt, to taste; 35g olive oil

About "Japanese-Style Pasta with Eggplant, Ume, and Shiso"

This summer-friendly Japanese-style pasta features a garlic-and-herb base topped with melt-in-your-mouth eggplant, tender chicken tenderloins, aromatic shiso, and tangy umeboshi plum paste. Cooking the eggplant skin-side down on low heat for 10 minutes coaxes out its natural sweetness and creates a luscious texture. Instead of pasta water, this recipe uses plain water combined with white dashi and umeboshi paste to keep the sauce clean and bright. By dividing the shiso into fine chiffonade for topping and minced for the sauce, you get two layers of refreshing aroma. It's a light, satisfying dish you'll want to make all summer long.

Video Timestamps

Tips for Making "Japanese-Style Pasta with Eggplant, Ume, and Shiso"

Prep
- Leave the thick tendon in the chicken tenderloin, sprinkle both sides with 1% salt, and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
Prep
- Cut the eggplant into bite-sized wedges with the skin on. No need to soak if fresh.
Prep
- Remove tough veins from shiso. Slice half for topping and mince half for the sauce. Roll them up to expose the aromatic undersides before cutting.
Prep
- Simply crush the garlic with the skin on and cook it together with the eggplant.
Heat control
- Lightly toast the white sesame seeds in a dry pan first to release their aroma.
Heat control
- Cook eggplant skin-side down on low heat for 10 minutes. It will absorb oil first and then release it; do not add more oil to ensure a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Heat control
- Mash the garlic to release its flavor into the oil. Spoon hot sauce over the chicken while cooking on high heat to keep it tender and juicy.
Seasoning
- Use plain water instead of pasta water for a clean, bright sauce.
Seasoning
- Do not worry too much about emulsification; leaving the sauce slightly watery is ideal for this Japanese-style pasta.
Finishing
- Shred the chicken by hand so the tough tendon comes off naturally and the meat absorbs the sauce better.
Finishing
- Top with toasted white sesame seeds, shredded nori, and sliced shiso before serving.

Ingredients for "Japanese-Style Pasta with Eggplant, Ume, and Shiso"

13 items

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70gspaghettini
1Japanese long eggplant
1chicken tenderloin
6gumeboshi plum paste
6shiso leaves
1clove garlic
1small red chili pepper
12gwhite dashi (shiro-dashi)
120gwater
Apinch of white sesame seeds
Apinch of shredded nori seaweed
Salt,to taste
35golive oil

How to Make "Japanese-Style Pasta with Eggplant, Ume, and Shiso"

1
Leave the thick tendon in the chicken tenderloin, sprinkle both sides with about 1% salt, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2
Trim the ends of the eggplant and cut into bite-sized wedges (rangiri) with the skin on.
3
Crush the garlic clove with the flat side of a knife, leaving the skin on.
4
Remove the tough stems and veins from the shiso leaves. Finely slice (chiffonade) half for the topping and mince the other half for the sauce.
5
Add the white sesame seeds to a pan and toast lightly over medium heat until fragrant, then remove and set aside.
6
Pour a generous amount of the olive oil into the same pan. Add the crushed garlic, eggplant (skin-side down), and chili pepper, then turn on the heat.
7
Once the garlic starts to sizzle, coat the eggplant thoroughly with the oil, place them skin-side down again, and reduce the heat to low.
8
Cook slowly on low heat for about 10 minutes. Resist the urge to add more oil and wait patiently until the eggplant becomes completely tender and melt-in-your-mouth.
9
Meanwhile, bring 2L of water to a boil, add 30g of salt (1.5% concentration), and start cooking the spaghettini until slightly under-al dente.
10
Once the eggplant is cooked through, transfer it to a plate. If the garlic is soft, mash it with a fork, remove the germ, and blend its flavor into the oil.
11
Pat the chicken tenderloin dry, add it to the same pan, and coat it with the garlic-infused oil.
12
Add 120g of water, white dashi, and umeboshi paste, then bring to a boil over high heat.
13
Spoon the hot sauce over the chicken tenderloin as it cooks. Once the sauce thickens slightly, remove the chicken and set aside.
14
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss with the sauce over high heat.
15
Add the minced shiso and toss well (it is fine if the sauce remains slightly watery).
16
Return the tender eggplant to the pan to meld its rich flavor into the sauce.
17
Shred the chicken tenderloin by hand into the pan (the tough tendon will naturally come off) and toss everything lightly.
18
Mound the pasta high on a plate, arrange the eggplant and chicken beautifully, and pour the remaining sauce over the top.
19
Top generously with the toasted white sesame seeds, shredded nori, and sliced shiso to finish.

Detailed Commentary on "Japanese-Style Pasta with Eggplant, Ume, and Shiso"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

Perfect for Summer! Amazing Ume Shiso Pasta

Today, I'm sharing a Japanese-style eggplant and shiso pasta that you'll want to make again and again now that summer is in full swing. This is truly the most impressive recipe I've created this year. The stars of the dish are juicy, tender eggplant, refreshing shiso leaves, and tangy umeboshi plum paste. The ingredients are simple and accessible: spaghettini, long eggplant, chicken tenderloin, shiso, umeboshi paste, white sesame seeds, white dashi, garlic, chili pepper, olive oil, and nori. With the refreshing aroma of shiso and the bright acidity of plum, this pasta is incredibly light and appetizing—perfect for hot summer days when your appetite might be low.

Prepping Ingredients to Maximize Aroma

We start with careful prep to ensure the best flavor. For the chicken tenderloin, you don't need to remove the tough tendon beforehand since we will shred it later. Just sprinkle both sides with about 1% salt and let it sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Trim the eggplant and cut it into bite-sized wedges. Keep the skin on, as we will cook it skin-side down. If it's fresh, there's no need to soak it to remove bitterness. Simply crush the garlic with its skin on and cook it slowly alongside the eggplant. For the shiso, we use a generous six leaves per serving. Remove the tough veins, roll them up to expose the highly aromatic undersides, and slice. Half will be finely sliced for the topping, and the other half minced to melt into the sauce.

The Secret to Melt-in-Your-Mouth Eggplant

First, lightly toast the white sesame seeds in a dry pan. This simple step dramatically enhances their aroma and elevates the entire dish. Once toasted, set them aside and pour a generous amount of olive oil into the same pan. Arrange the eggplant skin-side down, add the crushed garlic and chili pepper, and turn on the heat. Once the garlic starts sizzling, coat the eggplant with the oil, turn them skin-side down again, and lower the heat. The key is to cook them slowly on low heat for about 10 minutes. Eggplant initially absorbs a lot of oil, but as it cooks through, it begins to release it back. Resist the urge to add more oil; waiting patiently yields incredibly sweet, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant.

Tender Chicken in a Savory Ume Sauce

For the pasta, I use 1.55mm spaghettini for a smooth, al dente texture. Boil it in 2L of water with 30g of salt (1.5% salinity) until slightly underdone. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In the pan used for the eggplant, add the patted-dry chicken tenderloin. Mash the softened garlic with a fork, discard the germ, and let its flavor melt into the oil. After coating the chicken in the garlic oil, add plain water instead of pasta water—this is a key technique for this recipe. Next, add the white dashi and the star ingredient, umeboshi paste. Bring to a boil over high heat while spooning the hot sauce over the chicken. This keeps the chicken incredibly tender and juicy. Once the sauce thickens slightly, temporarily remove the chicken.

Finishing with Shiso and Eggplant

Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss with the sauce over high heat. Stir in the minced shiso. The moment they combine, the refreshing aroma of umeboshi and shiso fills the air. Since this is a Japanese-style pasta, you don't need to worry too much about emulsification; leaving it slightly saucy is the secret to a delicious finish. Once combined, return the tender eggplant to the pan to incorporate its rich oils into the sauce. Finally, shred the cooked chicken tenderloin by hand directly into the pan. Shredding by hand allows the tough tendon to come off naturally and helps the chicken absorb the sauce beautifully.

Tasting and a Special Announcement

Mound the pasta high on a plate, arrange the eggplant and chicken evenly, and pour the remaining sauce over the top. Finish with a generous topping of toasted sesame seeds, shredded nori, and the sliced shiso. The bright acidity of the umeboshi, the freshness of the shiso, and the sweetness of the slow-cooked eggplant harmonize beautifully into a comforting flavor that everyone will love. On a side note, thank you so much to everyone who attended the release event for my book, 'SALSA: The World of Sauces,' at Futako-Tamagawa Tsutaya Electrics! The book features many pasta sauce recipes like this one, so please check it out if you're interested.

The Most Amazing Dish I Made This Year | Eggplant Japanese-Style Pasta with Ume and Shiso!