After a couple weeks off, M. worked a whole 3 days in the beginning of the year before the weekend came around again. That Saturday, when we went shopping for weekend groceries, we looked up a couple of recipes and settled upon a meal with a Japanese twist. So we headed out with the challenge of finding the necessary ingredients for Eggplant Dengaku (page 101) and Sushi Roll Edamame Salad (page 20) with Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette (page 21). For the most part, we were successful.
This recipe specifically calls for red miso, but our miso isn’t labeled as red or brown or white, but rather “light” and “dark.” I know it’s supposed to make a difference, but I am not certain my palate is refined enough to decipher that. In any case, we found the miso, nori, and rice vinegar at our local ethnic food shop, which is slightly overpriced (compared to the normal grocer) but carries a lot of rare items. Unfortunately, no one had edamame, so we sat that out in our recipe, and I don’t think it suffered as a result.
When it came to actually making the food, I was in charge of the salad and dressing, while M. was in charge of the eggplant. It’s nice to divide these tasks because we work better when we are a team, working toward the same goal but not doing the same thing. He made the recipe as directed and I totally forgot agave nectar in the dressing, but it all turned out beautifully, and even though the brown rice wasn’t cooked thoroughly (I learned my lesson about brown rice cooking time) it all tasted good together. Additionally, we noted that the eggplant is better when it’s hot or warm, so this is a meal that relies on timing for it to taste its best.
Made: January 5, 2013
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