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Nabe-san is a YouTuber who uses his experience as a chef to create simple and delicious recipes. On his YouTube channel なべのだいどころ "Nabe no Daikokoro," he uses seasonings and familiar ingredients typically found in a Japanese home to whip up "slightly stylish" dishes that can be made with little effort.
His eggplant miso cheese casserole looked so good, we had to introduce it to you. As you can see in the video below, it goes great with a nice cold beer.
Eggplant miso cheese casserole (serves 2-3) Time required: 15 minutes
150 g minced meat (beef, pork, lamb, etc.)
2 tbsp mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
1.5 to 2.5 tbsp sugar (adjusted to taste)
4 tbsp + salad oil (depending on the size of your eggplants)
Ichimi chili pepper (to taste)
Roasted white or golden sesame seeds (optional)
Parsley, fresh, finely chopped, or dried (optional)
Cut eggplant into desired size. (Thick slices are recommended, as they become quite small when cooked. If cooking the eggplant immediately, you don't need to soak in water. If cooking some time after cutting, soak in water to prevent discoloration.)
To make miso seasoning sauce, blend the miso, mirin, sake and sugar.
Add oil to frying pan. (Eggplant absorbs oil well, so add enough oil to coat them and cook them. If there is not enough oil, add more, or they will burn)
When the eggplant is well coated with oil and shiny, add the minced meat and stir-fry on medium heat.
When the meat is cooked, add the miso seasoning sauce and stir-fry further, adjusting taste with more sugar and miso if needed.
Add sesame oil, Ichimi chili pepper, and sesame seeds if you have them, then turn off the heat.
Pour frying pan contents into a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake in a toaster or oven until cheese is melted.
Eggplants are in season now, so this is a great way of using them. If you want to reduce calories, the eggplant and meat mix stir-fried in the pan can also be enjoyed as is, without cheese.
Moreover, you can also replace the minced meat with a soy meat product of your choice if you're following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
If you're looking for a tasty and simple recipe this summer, why not give it a try?
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Yuck. Japan's dietary habits are not changing for the better. This is way too much saturated fat.
This is way too much saturated fat.
So true. The myth that Japanese food is oh so healthy might be one of the biggest misconceptions the rest of the world has about Japan.
If you want to reduce calories, the eggplant and meat mix stir-fried in the pan can also be enjoyed as is, without cheese.
You can even do one better, leave out the meat too and make regular nasumiso, which is supremely delicious on its own without twisting it into a "guratan".
I eat no cheese and no dairy - I am vegan. When I first came to Japan about twenty two years ago, Japanese eating habits were much healthier. There was very little meat, almost no dairy, and small portions. Treats were available, but the portion size was tiny compared to the USA. Japan is going to have the same health problems as the USA at this rate, as well as similar rates of obesity. Things started to go wrong when Starbucks became popular.
Sprinkling the sliced eggplant with salt for about 15 minutes will draw water out of the eggplant. Pat it dry afterwards. This will prevent the eggplant from turning into complete mush when cooked in the oven.
I have many eggplants at the moment. I usually make Italian Parmesan (Melanzane alla Parmigiana). Uses less oil for the frying. Otherwise I bake the eggplant first. No oil.
Vegan use plain tomato sauce and tofu, black sesame seeds and walnuts instead of cheese.
This eggplant miso cheese casserole will make your taste buds sing
Nabe no Daikokoro - shouldn't that be Nabe no Daidokoro?
Why oh why do they need to throw a vast amount of sugar in to a savoury dish! Yuk.
The demonising of saturated fat from the 80’s onwards is misplaced, it has its place in a balanced diet and is far less harmful than popular belief shaped by old misinformation thinks. Too much of anything is not to be recommended and there is little need or nutritional value in sugar so I can see no valid reason for its inclusion here.
Japan is going to have the same health problems as the USA at this rate, as well as similar rates of obesity. Things started to go wrong when Starbucks became popular."
It's already happening ..look at the number of chubbies walking around here compared to 10 or 20 years ago. Still nowhere near as bad as the West but it's on the way.
Sprinkling the sliced eggplant with salt for about 15 minutes will draw water out of the eggplant. Pat it dry afterwards. This will prevent the eggplant from turning into complete mush when cooked in the oven."
I'm hungry for moussaka now, but not the above creation, thank you.
Saturated fat causes so many health problems. Of course some fat is necessary, but all this cheese and meat is terrible for health, not to mention animal welfare and the environment.
Gintonic - yes, way too many metabo-chans. My teen is slim and fit, he plays baseball, but so many of his friends are an absolute unhealthy mess, esp the girls!
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