Sauce:
Water 1 cup
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Light-colored soy sauce 2/3 tablespoons
Kombu (1) 3cm-square sheet
Dried bonito flakes 5g
Red cone pepper 1
Vegetable oil 1 tablespoon
Chinese yam 120g
Tomato 1/4
Okra 2
Fresh sea urchin 12 pieces
Welsh onion (2) 3cm-long pieces
Beefsteak plant ears 2

‚Q�D Rinse the eggplant, remove the caps and cut each lengthwise into halves.On the skin, make shallow cuts on a slant at 1cm intervals. Soak in water for a while, then dry.

‚R�D Place two halved eggplant on a plate with the skin side up, and cover with a sheet of cooking paper soaked in vegetable oil (Tip 1). Do not cover with plastic wrap (Tip 2). Heat in a microwave oven at 500W for approx. 3 minutes to cook thoroughly.

‚S�D Soak ‚R�D in ‚P�D while the stock is hot. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the eggplant.

‚T�D Add the red cone pepper to ‚S�D, place a sheet of cooking paper over the eggplant and put the dried bonito flakes over the sheet. Allow it to cool. Then, chill in a refrigerator.

‚U�D Rinse the okra and wrap in plastic wrap. Heat in a microwave oven at 500W for approx. 5 seconds, and soak in cold water. After it is cooled, cut each lengthwise in half and remove the seeds. Chop it into small pieces with a knife to bring out the sliminess.

‚V�D Remove the eggplant from the seasoned stock. Stir in ‚U�D to the seasoned stock and stretch.

‚W�D Skin the yam and place it in a plastic bag. Smash the yam roughly and place each serving in the center of a dish. Cut each halved eggplant into three equally sized pieces and place them over the yam. Pour ‚V�D around the yam and eggplant. Add the sea urchin cut into smaller pieces with the tomato cut into small cubes. Top the eggplant with Welsh onion and beefsteak plant ears (Tip 3).

Tips:

1. The anthocyan pigment contained in the skin of eggplant fades after heated. However, the color can be retained if it is heated at high temperature. That is why eggplant is often fried in oil and then cooked in stock. Although frying is good for retaining the color, the sponge-like eggplant pulp absorbs plenty of oil when fried. Once the oil is absorbed, it is difficult remove even by pouring hot water over the eggplant. I realized that what is necessary to retain the color is just a film of oil over the skin. So, I cover the skin with oil absorbed in a cooking sheet and heat the eggplant in a microwave oven. This way, the skin can be heated at high temperature using a small amount of oil, and at the same time, the eggplant is cooked without absorbing excess oil. Also, the sheet now absorbed with oil, can be used repeatedly.

2. Because the skin and the sheet will become very hot while heated in a microwave oven, do not cover with plastic wrap, which is likely to melt.

3. The taste of the remaining seasoned stock is too strong as it is. However, when mixed with yam or okra, it tastes just right. This way the stock does not go waste, and moreover, it is so delicious that people will enjoy eating it after they finish with the eggplant.