Aubergine Katsu

Ingredients

• 1 Japanese eggplant
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs (beaten well)
• 2 to 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 to 2 cups safflower oil
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation

• Pour six cups of cold water into a large bowl with one teaspoon of salt.
• Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place them in the salted water.
• Soak for 30 minutes or until the water turns brown.
• Drain the eggplant and rinse with cold water, laying each slice on paper towels to dry. Make
• sure to dry each piece thoroughly.
• Set up three plates or small, shallow baking dishes. Add the flour to one, eggs to the second
• and panko breadcrumbs to the third.
• Dip each eggplant slice in the flour, then the egg wash, and then dredge in the breadcrumbs
• and pat to evenly coat. Place the coated slices on a baking sheet fitted with a baking rack.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 F.
• Add the eggplant slices to the oil and fry until golden brown on each side. You will need to work in several batches.
• Transfer the golden brown slices to the cooling rack to drain off any excess oil.

Katsu Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 4 tsp mirin
• 4 tsp tamari
• 4 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tsp rice vinegar
• 4 tsp mustard
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp applesauce
• 1/4 tsp garlic (minced)

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients for the katsu sauce in a small bowl and mix to combine, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.

Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup short-grain white rice
• 1 cup water

Preparation

• Rinse the rice in cold water and drain, scrubbing the wet rice with your hand. Continue to rinse and drain until the drained water is clear.
• Place the drained rice in a heavy bottomed pot, add 1 cup of water and soak for 30 minutes with the lid closed.
• Over medium heat, bring the rice and water to a boil and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
• Once the rice is tender and the water as been completely absorbed, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a spoon.

Spinach

Ingredients

• 1 bunch (1/2 lb.) spinach
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

• Rinse the spinach thoroughly and bring lightly salted water to a boil in a large pot.
• Add the spinach to the boiling water by the stem and cook for 1 minute. Drain, and soak the spinach in ice water until cool.
• Collect the spinach and squeeze all of the water out, arranging the spinach so all the stems are facing the same direction, and cut the spinach into 2” pieces.

Sesame sauce

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp white sesame seeds
• 1-1/2 Tbsp tamari
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sake
• 1/2 tsp mirin rice wine

Preparation

• Place the sesame seeds in a frying pan and toast them on low heat. When two or three sesame seeds start to pop from the pan, remove from the heat.
• Grind the toasted sesame seeds in a food processor until smooth.
• In a bowl, combine the ground sesame seeds with tamari, sugar, sake, and mirin, and mix to combine.
• Toss the spinach and sesame sauce together in a large bowl and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Plating:

To serve, top the aubergines with katsu sauce and serve over cooked white rice with spinach.