Mushroom and Eggplant Donburi with Scrambled Eggs – Page 1 of 2 Serves 4

1 medium eggplant, large dice 1 small zucchini, medium dice 1 ½ tablespoons Korean chili paste 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon safflower oil salt and pepper to taste

2 fresh, or dried shiitake mushrooms re-constituted in water, sliced thin. Use the soaking liquid in the dashi stock. 3 eggs 2 teaspoons mirin ½ medium onion, sliced thin safflower oil salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup mirin ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup sake ¼ cup dashi (see recipe below), or chicken stock

2 scallions sliced julienne 2 mint leaves sliced julienne (optional) 1 sheet nori, toasted and sliced julienne (optional) togarashi to taste (optional)

Cooked brown rice for 4 healthy servings.

Mix the chili paste, oil, and syrup, and coat the eggplant and zucchini, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400° oven, stirring occasionally until tender. Reserve and keep warm.

Mushroom and Eggplant Donburi with Scrambled Eggs – Page 2 of 2

While the eggplant and zucchini are roasting, sauté the onions under low heat in safflower oil until soft. Add the mushrooms to the onions, and sauté until tender and caramelized. Mix together the mirin, soy sauce, sake, and dashi stock. Add the liquid to the onions and mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add the mirin to the eggs and softly scramble. Do not over mix the eggs. When the eggplant and zucchini are tender, and the liquid in the mushroom mixture is reduced to half, lightly coat a sauté pan with the safflower oil and gently cook the eggs. It’s better to undercook the eggs than to overcook them.

Divide the brown rice into 4 warm serving bowls. In each bowl add a portion of the mushrooms, and scrambled eggs. Top with the scallions and optional seasonings.

Dashi Stock 1 quart water (use the mushroom soaking liquid-optional) 1 ounce giant kelp (konbu) 1 ounce dried bonito flakes (hana-katsuo) cheese cloth and sieve for filtering

Fill a medium size pot with 1 quart of water and put in the kelp. Let sit for 10 minutes. Heat, uncovered until it just begins to boil. Remove the kelp immediately.

After removing the konbu, bring stock to a full boil. Add ¼ cup water to lower the temperature and immediately add the bonito flakes. Bring to a full boil and remove from the heat at once. Allow the flakes to settle to the bottom of the pot (about 30 seconds to 1 minute). Filter through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.