Name: Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring (Yaki-bitashi)
Cuisine: 和食
Ingredients: Eggplant to taste; Salt a pinch; Alum a pinch; Vegetable oil a pinch; Herring (or semi-dried herring, sardines, etc.) about 200g; Flour 1 tbsp; Potato starch 1 tbsp; Oil 1–2 tbsp; Dashi stock 150ml; Mirin 50ml; Soy sauce 50ml; Salt 1/4 tsp; Sugar 1/2 tsp; Sake 3 tbsp; Soy sauce 1 tbsp; Chili pepper a pinch; Ground sansho pepper a pinch; Julienned ginger to taste; Kinome (sansho leaves) to taste

About "Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring (Yaki-bitashi)"

Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring (Yaki-bitashi) is a signature dish of Ginza Rokusan-tei. By rubbing the eggplant with salt and alum, its vibrant purple color is preserved. After microwaving, it is soaked in a special tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu). The richness of the herring and the subtle bitterness of the eggplant match perfectly. Garnished with julienned ginger and kinome (sansho leaves) for an aromatic finish, this is a simple yet profound Japanese dish.

Introduction to 鉄人の台所 →

Tips for Making "Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring (Yaki-bitashi)"

Prep
- Rubbing salt and alum onto the eggplant helps preserve its vibrant purple color even after cooking.
Heating
- Coat the eggplant with vegetable oil, wrap in plastic, and microwave for 3 to 3.5 minutes. Let it sit briefly after heating to enhance the color.
Seasoning
- Make the tentsuyu with a golden ratio of 3 dashi : 1 mirin : 1 soy sauce, plus salt and sugar. Soak the hot eggplant immediately to let flavors penetrate.
Heat control
- Sear the herring skin-side down until fragrant, pour in the seasoning (3 sake : 2 mirin : 1 soy sauce), and raise the heat to burn off the alcohol.
Finishing
- Add chili pepper or ground sansho pepper for accent, and garnish with julienned ginger and kinome for aroma and color.

Ingredients for "Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring (Yaki-bitashi)"

19 items

* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon

Eggplantto taste
Salta pinch
Aluma pinch
Vegetableoil a pinch
Herring(or semi-dried herring, sardines, etc.) about 200g
Flour1 tbsp
Potatostarch 1 tbsp
Oil1–2 tbsp
Dashistock 150ml
Mirin50ml
Soysauce 50ml
Salt1/4 tsp
Sugar1/2 tsp
Sake3 tbsp
Soysauce 1 tbsp
Chilipepper a pinch
Groundsansho pepper a pinch
Juliennedginger to taste
Kinome(sansho leaves) to taste

How to Make "Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring (Yaki-bitashi)"

1
Rub salt and alum onto the eggplant, then coat with vegetable oil.
2
Make light incisions in the eggplant, wrap in plastic wrap, and microwave for 3 to 3.5 minutes.
3
Let it sit for a moment after heating to bring out a more vibrant purple color.
4
Mix dashi, mirin, and soy sauce in a 3:1:1 ratio, then add salt and sugar to make the tentsuyu (tempura sauce).
5
Cut the heated eggplant into bite-sized pieces and soak them in the tentsuyu while still hot.
6
Cut the herring into bite-sized pieces and coat with a 1:1 mixture of flour and potato starch.
7
Heat oil in a pan and sear the herring skin-side down until fragrant.
8
Pour in a combined seasoning of sake, mirin, and soy sauce (3:2:1 ratio), increase the heat, and burn off the alcohol.
9
Once the sauce coats the herring, add chili pepper and ground sansho pepper.
10
Plate the marinated eggplant and grilled herring, then garnish with julienned ginger and kinome.

Food Science

Why This Dish Tastes So Good

Searing the herring skin-side down triggers the Maillard reaction, creating a rich and savory aroma. Coating the herring with flour and potato starch locks in its moisture and umami while helping the sauce cling to the fish. Furthermore, the synergistic umami effect between the glutamic acid in the dashi and the inosic acid in the herring, combined with the balance of sweet, salty, and spicy (chili and sansho pepper) notes, creates a deeply complex flavor profile.

Umami compoundsBalance of five/six tastesMoisture controlTemperature & thermal reactions

Detailed Commentary on "Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring (Yaki-bitashi)"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

Bringing a Rokusan-tei Classic to the Home

This time, Rokusaburo Michiba introduces Grilled and Marinated Eggplant and Herring, once a signature menu item at Rokusan-tei. Chef Michiba himself takes up the brush to write out the menu in his beautiful calligraphy. This dish is incredibly simple and is presented as an easy recipe for home cooks. While it carries the flavor of traditional professional cuisine, it is also perfect as a staple home-cooked meal.

The Iron Chef's Nostalgic Song and Chat

Before cooking, the staff asked Chef Michiba, 'What was that song you were humming earlier?' It was the famous Taisho-era song 'Konjiki Yasha' (The Golden Demon). Singing 'Walking along the beach of Atami...', Chef Michiba cheerfully performed with gestures. Guest Chef Miyuki Igarashi and others applauded his beautiful voice. When the conversation turned to singer Saburo Kitajima, who covered the song, Chef Michiba smiled and said, 'Saburo Kitajima is younger than me, you know!' filling the studio with warm laughter.

Microwaving to Keep Eggplant Vibrant

The key to cooking eggplant is preserving its beautiful purple color. Chef Michiba rubs salt and alum onto the eggplant. He kindly adds, 'If you don't have alum at home, just salt is fine,' with a touch of humor about using it simply because it's available in professional kitchens. He then coats it with a little vegetable oil, makes light incisions, and wraps it in plastic wrap. This is microwaved for 3 to 3.5 minutes. Letting it sit briefly after heating coaxes out an even more vibrant purple.

Soaking Hot Eggplant in Special Sauce

The heated eggplant is cut into bite-sized pieces and immediately soaked in a special tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce). The golden ratio for this sauce is 3 parts dashi, 1 part mirin, and 1 part soy sauce, with a pinch of salt and sugar. Soaking the eggplant while hot allows the flavors to penetrate deeply. Seeing the purple juices bleed onto the white cutting board, Chef Michiba poetically remarked, 'It looks like a purple flower blooming on a white board,' appreciating the beauty with a chef's artistic sensibility.

Pro Techniques for Searing Herring

Next is cooking the star ingredient, herring. Fresh herring is used here, but if unavailable, semi-dried herring or even sardines make excellent substitutes. Cut the herring into bite-sized pieces and coat with a special flour mixture of 1 part flour and 1 part potato starch. Sear it skin-side down in an oiled pan until fragrant. To finish, pour in a combined seasoning of 3 parts sake, 2 parts mirin, and 1 part soy sauce, raising the heat dynamically to burn off the alcohol while coating the fish. Adding chili pepper or ground sansho pepper to taste is the secret touch.

Tasting the Richness Rivaling Seaperch

For plating, the marinated eggplant and sweet-savory sautéed herring are arranged in a bowl and garnished with julienned ginger and kinome. During the tasting, there was a rare, playful moment where Chef Michiba happily pulled out his smartphone to take a photo. His second daughter, Teruko, highly praised the dish, saying, 'The richness of the herring is so wonderful, it rivals blackthroat seaperch.' Chef Igarashi was also deeply impressed by the perfect pairing, remarking, 'I'm amazed at how well herring and eggplant go together.'

About 鉄人の台所

TSUNAGARI MEO｜月額5,000円でGoogleクチコミが自然に増えるMEO対策ツール