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KITCHEN MAGIC
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Posted on Mar 18 2006
Japanese Eggplant-Miso Soup
By DAVID SPITZER
Special to the Saipan Tribune
Instant fish soup stock (dashi-no-moto) and other Japanese ingredients may be purchased from Asian groceries. Flavorful soybean paste or miso comes in white (shiro miso), yellow (shinshu-miso), red (aka miso), or brown (hatcho miso); flavors range from slightly sweet to slightly bitter. Each makes good soup.
Serves 6 as a soup course, or 3 or 4 as a main dish.
3 tbsp high-quality vegetable oil such as safflower
3 cups peeled & sliced eggplant, preferably slender Asian-type (about 1 pound)
1/2 pound fresh enoki or shitake mushrooms
4 cups reconstituted Japanese soup stock (dashi-no-moto), poultry stock, or 2 cups canned chicken broth, preferably low-salt type, diluted with 2 cups water
π cup fermented soybean paste (miso)
salt
enoki mushrooms fro garnish
fresh shiso (minty Japanese herb)
leaves for garnish (optional)
In a soup pot or large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the stock or diluted broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and pureé. Add the soybean paste and blend until smooth. Pour the soup into a clean pot. Thin with additional stock or water if too thick. Season to taste with salt. Heat over medium-low heat.
Ladle the soup into preheated bowls, garnish with the mushrooms and shiso, if using, and serve immediately. Alternatively, pour into a container and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool, then tightly cover and store up to 3 days. Slowly reheat before garnishing and serving.
David Spitzer is the executive chef of the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan.
