Trust me, you will not be seeing many eggplant recipes on this site. That because I’ve never been a huge fan. Sure, it can taste fine with enough tomato sauce and parm on it (can’t everything?) but it tends to be a hit or miss whenever ordered out. I learned this recipe in culinary school and it absolutely changed my perspective on the spongy vegetable. People still look at me funny when this is on the dinner menu, but I’ve been able to surprise a lot of people with this one! I think it’s all about the sauce. Much like a good marinara, a sauce rich in umami flavors can make just about anything good. This vegan version of an eel sauce is packed with rich flavors that could be enjoyed with a variety of grilled vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms and even some meats or fish.
Strain pairing : CBG and CBD heavy strains are great for Agave infusions since they tend to infuse better in this medium than THC. There is still a chance of infusing THC, but it won’t be as potent, therefore you don’t want to waste your high percentage bud on it. Something like White CBG helps with body aches and stress without the strong psychoactive effects of THC. People who want to experience the medicinal effects more than the “high” while eating edibles will enjoy this type of infusion
Cannabis Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp infused agave or maple syrup
Ingredients:
Sushi Rice-
- 1.5 cups short-grain rice
- water
- 2.5 fl oz rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- dash of sugar
- pinch of salt
Topping-
- 2-3 eggplant
- Vegetable oil, as needed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 2 tbsp Saki or rice wine
- 2 tbsp agave or sugar
Recipe:
Sushi Rice-
- Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. This helps get rid of extra starch. Soak for 30 minutes before cooking then rinse again. *great time to prepare your eggplant mise en place
- Add the rice to a small pot and cover with water till its about a 1/2 inch above the rice
- Cook the rice on high at first & stir every other minute until the water starts to boil. Reduce to low and cover the pot
- Check the water level at around 5-7 minutes. If there is no water left and the grains are tender
- While the rice is cooking, mix the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Heat in a small pot until the sugar and salt dissolve. Let cool. * Clean and save pot for sauce
- On a parchment or plastic wrap lined sheet tray, spread out the rice to cool it faster and add the seasoning.
- Pour seasoning over and mix
- Cover it with clean kitchen towel while you prepare the eggplant
Eggplant and Eel Sauce-
- cut the eggplant into planks by first cutting it into a cube (removing the skin) and slicing it into 1/4 inch slices
- Gently score and salt each piece and let rest for about 10 minutes, removing access moisture
- In the meantime, begin the sauce by combining the soy sauce, mirin, saki, and sugar in a bowl.
- Put the sauce ingredients in a pot on low heat and reduce it down till its nappe aka coating the back of the spoon
- Pan sear the eggplant in batches on medium-high heat w/ veg oil of choice. Cooking until golden brown on both sides
- Remove from heat and spread out a bit of sauce on each piece. cute into strips
Assembly –
- With a rice press, two spoons, or your clean &/or covered hands, form oval shaped balls of rice by scooping and pressing it together
- Add eggplant on top.
- Drizzle some sauce or serve on the side. Scallions and nori for garnish (optional)
- Enjoy!