Eggplant Two Ways

A recurring theme in Japanese cooking is the creative—and thrifty—use of the entire ingredient: ichi motsu, zen shoku. In vegetarian kitchens that inevitably means using peels and leaves or other edible but often discarded portions of the plant. In this recipe, a single eggplant is peeled and then prepared in two utterly different ways: a small mound each of spicy, firm, strips of dark peel and tart, salty, sweet chunks of pale flesh are served together. The contrast makes for a refreshing appetizer that works especially well with a chilled very dry saké. To transform this dish into a wonderful hot-weather lunch, place a small mound of each element on a bed of soft lettuces and serve with crisp toasts or crusty baguette slices and iced tea. I include a subrecipe for making a fabulous, immensely versatile sour plum sauce that can be used as a spread for sandwiches, served as a dip for chips or cold noodles, or sweetened with a bit more syrup to make a sauce for waffles or frozen desserts. You may want to double the recipe, especially since it stores well in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a month.