Dongame-jiru (Eggplant and Sesame Miso Soup)

Name: Dongame-jiru (Eggplant and Sesame Miso Soup)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: eggplants 2 piece; sesame seeds 60 g; dashi 600 ml; miso 45 g; plain rice porridge 40 ml

Quick answer

Total time: 37 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 5

About this dish

Crosshatched purple eggplant skin looks like a turtle's shell, and ground sesame clouding the broth looks like mud, hence the name mud turtle soup.

This summer soup from the Koto region of Shiga gets slight body from finely ground rice porridge, which also keeps the large amount of toasted sesame from sinking straight to the bottom.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

eggplants2 piece

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Trim two eggplants and halve lengthwise.

Score skin diagonally in both directions at 3mm intervals to 4mm deep; cut large halves once crosswise.
2

Soak scored eggplant in cold water for 10 minutes, turning once.

Drain and blot water from the skin and cuts with paper towels.
3

Grind 40ml rice porridge in a mortar for 2 minutes until grains nearly disappear.

Transfer to a small bowl and loosen with 60ml of the dashi.
4

Toast 60g sesame in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 4 to 6 minutes.

When a few seeds pop and smell nutty, grind until some oil emerges but stop before a smooth paste forms.
5

Bring the remaining 540ml dashi, loosened porridge, and eggplant to a boil.

Reduce to low, cover, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes until chopsticks enter the eggplant center easily.
6

Dissolve 45g miso in a ladle of broth and return it.

Over low heat just below boiling, add ground sesame, stir evenly for 30 seconds, turn off heat, and divide among four bowls.