Jako Goko, Osaka Pickled Eggplant with Shrimp

Quick answer

Total time: 185 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

Jako goko is a Senshu, Osaka dish made by soaking and blanching well-aged pickled mizu eggplants, then simmering them with small ebi-jako shrimp and ginger until very little broth remains.

Jako means the small shrimp and goko refers to pickles. It developed as a practical way to enjoy eggplants fermented in rice bran for two to three months from late summer into autumn. The soaking and rinsing moderate the salt and fermented aroma without erasing them, while dashi, shrimp, soy sauce, sake, and mirin soak back into the tender eggplant. Ginger keeps the rich preserved flavor clean and focused.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
aged Senshu mizu eggplant rice-bran pickles	3	piece
water for soaking	2000	ml
water for blanching	1500	ml
cold water for rinsing	1500	ml
ginger	15	g
small shrimp, heads and tails removed	100	g
dashi	400	ml
soy sauce	2	tbsp
sake	1.25	tbsp
mirin	1.25	tbsp

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

5 steps

1

Prep

Halve 3 aged Senshu mizu eggplant rice-bran pickles lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 pieces.

Submerge them in 2000ml soaking water for 2 to 3 hours, turning once halfway through.
2

Control

Bring 1500ml blanching water to a boil over high heat and blanch the soaked eggplant for 3 minutes.

When the centers are hot and the outsides soften but hold their shape, transfer to 1500ml cold rinsing water.
3

Season

Gently knead-rinse the eggplant in the cold water for 1 minute.

Stop while a little pickle aroma and saltiness remain, drain for 5 minutes, and press each piece once without crushing it. Cut 15g ginger into fine strips.
4

Control

Combine 400ml dashi, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1.25 tablespoons sake, and 1.25 tablespoons mirin in a wide pan and boil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the ginger, 100g small shrimp, and eggplant; when it returns to a boil, reduce to medium-low.
5

Control

Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the pan every 5 minutes to coat evenly.

Remove from the heat when the shrimp are fully opaque and cooked and only about 2 tablespoons liquid remain on the bottom.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Aged Senshu water-eggplant rice-bran pickles soaked and blanched before use
Finish cue: Remove from the heat when the shrimp are fully opaque and cooked and only about 2 tablespoons liquid remain on the bottom.
Avoid this: Do not rinse away every trace of salt and pickle aroma; a little fermented character defines jako goko.
Substitution: Near the end, shake the pan instead of stirring repeatedly so the softened eggplant does not break apart.