This light Japanese-style dish is great as a snack.  Yaki nasu is broiled eggplant with dashi and soy-based cold soup.  The charred eggplants soak up the broth resulting in an intense smoky, salty, sweet and savory snack.

Ingredients:

1 pound Japanese eggplant, 1 tablespoon olive oil, Kosher salt, 1 cup dashi found in Asian markets, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons mirin, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 2 finely sliced scallions, large pinch katsuobushi (dried, shaved bonito found in Asian markets), 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Procedure

1.  Drizzle eggplant with olive oil and sea salt.  Set broiler to high and place the eggplant on foil-lined broiler pan and place 6-inches under broiler element.  Broil the eggplants for 15-25 minutes and turn every 5 minutes until well charred and the eggplants are fully softened.  Transfer to a large plate and allow to cool.  When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin and pull into rough large strips.

2.  Combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin and ginger in a medium-sized bowl.  Place the eggplant in the dashi mixture and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight in a refrigerator until completely cool.

3.  Serve by placing eggplants in individual serving bowls, pout excess sauce on top and garnish with scallions, katsuobushi, sesame seeds and additional soy sauce.