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Heart Healthy Kitchen

Ep 4 Teriyaki Brinjal Steaks with Red Bean Rice

Call it brinjal, eggplant, or aubergine, this purple fruit is often overlooked because of its slightly “slimy” feel, but this Japanese-inspired dish will leave you asking for more

Many people avoid eating brinjal because of its texture, but as a result, miss out on its high-fibre and high-antioxidant content, which is helpful in keeping cancer at bay. Brinjal is also full of potassium and vitamin B6, which promotes healthy arteries and prevents heart attack. If those aren’t good enough reasons for you to start eating brinjal, this recipe may just do the trick, as pan-frying it will remove a lot of the moisture. Just remember to go easy on the oil!

Be aware that because you are pan-frying the brinjal, parts of it will remain white and look uncooked. (The dark and shiny brinjal many of us are used to seeing have been deep-fried.) You can determine if the brinjal is cooked by lightly pressing down on it with a spatula—instead of being dry and spongy, the texture will be soft and moist.

While we don’t normally recommend specific brands in our recipes, we have chosen to use
Kikkoman teriyaki (thick) sauce because (most other teriyaki sauces contain the rice wine mirin or the fish Bonito.

Feel free to use any variety of unpolished rice. Brown, black, or even red, the type doesn’t matter. What matters is that it still retains its side hull and bran (unlike white rice) which contains all sorts of goodness.

Ingredients

Pan-fried brinjal steaks with teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp oil
1 brinjal, sliced into 1.5 cm pieces
1 onion
2 tbsp Kikkoman teriyaki (thick) sauce (most other teriyaki sauces contain the rice wine mirin or the fish Bonito – blog post only)
½ cup water

Red bean rice
½ cup red beans
½ cup unpolished rice
2 cups water

Method

1. Place rice and red beans in rice cooker bowl. Wash and rinse with water. Add 2 cups of water. Program rice cooker to cook.
2. While rice is cooking, lightly coat pan with oil
3. Place brinjal slices in a single layer on pan, cover with lid and leave until lightly brown, soft and spongy.
4. In the meantime, mix teriyaki sauce in water. Add onions and boil until they are soft.
5. Layer brinjal slices onto a plate and pour on teriyaki sauce.
6. Serve with red bean rice.