take that, winter!

a lady on the train today, ROCKING a spring look:

yesterday and today

same time, same place...

eggplant (or some other thing) and miso in a wok

We have been making some version of this recipe almost every week. Meets all of our favorite recipe criteria - easy, delicious and suitable for almost any vegetable you have on hand. Try it and then change something and try it again.

Nasu no Abura-miso Itame
Eggplant and Miso in a wok (from The Japanese Kitchen by Hiroko Shimbo)
30 minutes, serves 4

3 small bell peppers, assorted colors, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbs akamiso (brown miso)
1 tbs mamemiso (soybean miso)
2 tbs sake (rice wine) - if we're out of sake, water will suffice
1-2 tbs sugar
2 tbs sesame oil
one 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and julienned
5 tbs vegetable oil
9 oz. (4-5) Japanese or Italian eggplants, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (use rangiri technique, if possible)
chile flakes

In a medium pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers for 1 minute. Rinse in cold water, drain and wipe dry.

In a small cup, combine both kinds of miso, the sake, and sugar, stirring.

Heat a wok (or large skillet) over medium-high heat, and add the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and cook for 20 seconds, until aromatic and slightly crispy. Remove the ginger from the wok and reserve it.

Add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant, and cook it until all sides are golden. Return the ginger to the wok, add the bell peppers and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

Transfer to bowl and add the miso mixture to the vegetables. Toss to distribute sauce evenly and sprinkle with chile flakes. Toss again and serve.

Notes: I don't particularly love bell peppers, so we usually skip these and add whatever we have on hand (carrot, sweet potato, assorted Japanese greens, tofu). Use your judgement about when to add the vegetables but a general rule we follow is hard vegetables like carrots, first; slightly softer items like eggplant and squash, second; and leafy greens, tofu (water pressed out) and pre-cooked tubers, last.

The main ingredient for success in wok frying is oil...don't skimp or your veggies will stick! Unless your wok is of the non-stick variety, you'll always need more than you are accustomed to cooking with in a skillet. Try also to reserve sauces for after the dish is finished. Dousing your frying ingredients in soy (or another) sauce will only make them soggy.

Another reason to love Japan: the jagaimo man

In neighborhoods and cities all across Japan are men, and perhaps women, who drive small trucks around at dusk in winter, filled with freshly-baked sweet potatoes. In the evenings, piped from a loudspeaker atop the truck, comes their song - slow and wailing, not unlike a muezzin call to prayer. At the sound, we file downstairs to pick up a couple of hot potatoes, ready to eat! Add this to the amazing boulangerie across the street and the our need for an oven is almost obsolete. Now, if there were just a chocolate brownie man...