If you want to enjoy all the deliciousness of fresh ingredients, you should eat them in season. She has heard that since living in Kumamoto, chef Ai Hosokawa basically eats seasonal ingredients only when they are in season. As someone who lives in the city and spends my days not knowing when ingredients are in season, I can't help but feel envious.

I want to eat this especially in the hot summer! Enjoy the deliciousness of eggplant to the fullest

In July, eggplants often appear on the Hosokawa family's dining table. There are many ways to cook it, but the one that you will want to eat when the weather gets hot is the ``grilled eggplant hotpot.'' This is an unfamiliar recipe for a hotpot dish, but when you see how it's prepared, your appetite suddenly whets.

"The trick is how to grill the eggplant. Place it on a grill and grill over high heat until it turns black, which brings out the sweetness of the eggplant. Then add condiments like ginger, lemongrass, and plum vinegar. When you use it, it gives you a refreshing taste and soothes your body tired from the heat,” says Hosokawa. He also advised that using tomatoes instead of eggplant would be delicious.

Grilled eggplant pot (for 4 people)

4 large eggplants
juice
1 liter of konbu and sardine soup stock
2 tablespoons sake
1 lemongrass
1/2 cup fermented ginger juice
*If you don't have fermented ginger, you can also use 2-XNUMX slices of ginger.
4 dried plums

Tsukune
Minced chicken 200g
2 teaspoons salt koji
1 piece of ginger

Sauce
Eggplant 100g
50g red onion
50g sweet chili pepper or green pepper
Plum vinegar 20g
Kelp and dried sardine soup stock 50g
A little sesame oil
Herbs
(basil, mint, coriander, dill, etc.)

Other
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Green leafy vegetables (sunny lettuce, perilla leaves, basil, etc.)

Bake the eggplant.
Place the eggplant on a wire rack and fry over high heat, turning until it turns black all over.
Be careful not to spill the cooking juices as much as possible, and be careful not to leave any parts undercooked or overcook until they turn white.
Once cooled, remove the skin without washing with water and look at the stem.

Prepare the soup.
In a pot that can be placed on the table, add the kelp and sardine stock, sake, dried umeboshi, lemongrass, and fermented ginger juice and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Make meatballs.
Add salt koji and chopped ginger to the ground chicken and mix well.
When the soup comes to a boil, use a spoon to drop the meat into bite-sized pieces and season with salt.
Once the meatballs are cooked, turn off the heat, add the grilled eggplant cut into large pieces, place the fermented ginger in the center, and sprinkle with plenty of sesame seeds.

Make the sauce.
Roughly chop the eggplant and red onion and soak each in water.
Change the water for the eggplant several times until the water is no longer cloudy.
Place in a colander and drain.
Add coarsely chopped sweet chili pepper, plum vinegar, kelp and sardine soup stock, and sesame oil and mix.
Place in a bowl and sprinkle with herb leaves.

While warming the pot on the table, pour the soup into separate bowls and pour the sauce over.
In between, quickly simmer green leafy vegetables if you like.

*Dried Umeboshi: Umeboshi are spread in a colander and dried until crisp. The pulp will no longer be juicy, but it will be sweeter and less salty. When added to soups or hot pots, it adds acidity and flavor. Boiled umeboshi will lose most of its saltiness, but it's best to eat it as is.
*Fermented ginger: Newly sliced ​​ginger is soaked in 3% salt water and fermented until it becomes cloudy. Taste the soup and if it tastes sour, refrigerate. It has a long shelf life, so it's good to make a large amount and use it in a variety of dishes. It adds a slight umami flavor to the aroma of ginger, so it's delicious to eat as is, but it's also useful as a secret ingredient in hot pots, stir-fries, and dishes.

*Sauce: In addition to this hot pot, it goes well with cold noodles and tofu. By adding dashi, you can enjoy the flavor without diluting it when combined with the hot pot without making it too strong.
*Tsukune: If you make it without adding binders such as eggs or potato starch, it will be meaty and delicious. It holds up well without falling apart. Minced pork or a mix of chicken and pork will give it a richer flavor.

→Ai Hosokawa's recipe Spring hotpot "Cabbage roll hotpot made in a small pot"　

→Ai Hosokawa's recipe for winter hotpot "red wine hotpot"

→Ai Hosokawa's recipe Autumn hotpot "Lotus root hotpot"

→ Ai Hosokawa's recipe for summer hotpot "red hotpot"

Ai Hosokawa

Cook. He hosts cooking classes and cooking parties in taishoji, Kumamoto. Many books are currently on sale, including ``Toast'' (BON Publishing), ``Standard Cooking Collection'' (Anonyma Studio), ``Travel and Cooking'' (CCC Media House), and ``Taishoji Cookbook 1.2'' (Shobunsha). His online magazine ``Apron and Recipe'' (grembiuli & ricette) is updated every month.

Photography by Ai Hosokawa