Steamed marinated eggplant

Ingredients

Eggplant

• 1
  
  medium eggplant, topped and peeled
  
• 2
  
  teaspoons sesame seeds
  
• 1
  
  cup white rice, boiled
  
• 
  
  freshly crushed black pepper, a pinch of paprika and chives to finish
  

Dressing

• 1 1/4
  
  teaspoons mirin
  
• 1/4
  
  teaspoon olive oil
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon light soy sauce
  
• 1 1/4
  
  teaspoons rice vinegar
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon honey
  
• 1
  
  teaspoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
  
• 1/2
  
  clove garlic, minced
  

Directions

1. Fill a large pot (with a lid) with water to a quarter of the way up the sides and bring to a boil. Place the eggplant in the steamer (I used a bamboo steamer) or in a colander hovering over the water, making sure the water does not touch the steamer (you don’t want the eggplant to be boiled). Cover tightly using the lid and let steam for 30 minutes, turning the eggplant once.
2. When the eggplant is cooked (it should feel very soft and moist to the touch), remove the steamer from the pot and leave the eggplant to cool and drain inside the steamer. When the eggplant is cool, shred the flesh by hand into long and thin stripes. You can also remove part of the seeds, if you don’t like the taste of them. Continue to drain the stripes for an additional 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade. Mix together the mirin, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and sesame seeds. Stir in the ginger and garlic and set aide. Once the eggplant is completely cooled and drained, put it in a small bowl and toss it with the marinate. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes, before serving over the cooked white rice. To finish, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, paprika and chives.