EGGPLAT-KATSU & TOGARASHI-MAYONNAISE
Vaasan Sandwich
Crispy aubergine
Pickled cucumber
Fermented tomato sauce
Togarashi vegan mayonnaise
Crispy aubergine
Ingredients:
150 g panko breadcrumbs
500 gr aubergine (1 aubergine)
230 gr chickpea flour
300 ml water
250 ml oil
salt
pepper
Instructions:
Slice the aubergine ~1cm thick oval strips. In a separate bowl, mix the chickpea flour with the water until smooth. It should create a thick and gloopy mixture with a smooth consistency. Place the panko breadcrumbs into a separate bowl. And then, get a plate ready to place the vegetables on once they have been dunked.
Dredge each piece of aubergine into the flour mix, then into the panko breadcrumbs. Set aside onto the plate. Work fast so the mix doesn’t fall off the vegetables. As the flour mix is quite thick, it shouldn’t fall off the vegetables but it’s still worth trying to go quickly if you can.
Heat up a frying pan with a 0.5cm layer of oil in the bottom (we found this should be around 250ml). Use a single piece of panko to check if the oil is hot enough, once it is bubbling away in the pan, the oil is hot enough. Alternatively, you can also use a wooden spoon to check this instead.
Fry each piece of aubergine on each side for around 1-2 minutes, until golden. As each piece of vegetable is done, place onto a plate that has been lined with kitchen paper, so the excess oil drips off.
Marinated cucumber
Ingredients:
1 cucumber (about 226 g)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
sesame seeds for garnishing
Instructions:
Rinse the cucumber thoroughly and slice it into pieces. Add the salt to the cucumber, stir gently to combine well. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Drain the salt water from the cucumber after chilling.
Add the garlic, vinegar, sugar, chili powder, chili oil, and sesame oil together, stir to mix well. Make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Toss well.
Top with sesame seeds
Fermented tomatoes
Ingredients:
Enough small to medium tomatoes to fill a gallon jar
8 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of peppercorns
Non-iodized salt (sea salt, kosher salt, or pickling salt)
Instructions:
Wash your tomatoes. Use a bamboo skewer to poke a few holes in each tomato.
Crush each garlic clove but leave the peel on.
Wash a gallon jar well with warm water and dish soap.
Add a few tomatoes into the jar, then a few garlic cloves. Repeat until the jar is full and you have used all of your vegetables.
Add the peppercorns on top of the tomatoes.
Mix a tablespoon of salt in a cup of water and add it to the jar. Keep adding brine until the jar is full. Make sure to leave about an inch or two of headspace.
Place a fermentation weight on top of the tomatoes and make sure that all of the vegetables are submerged in the brine.
Close the jar and place it on a dinner plate on the counter to ferment.
After a few days, when the fermentation process starts (the water will become cloudy and there will be some bubbles on the top), remember to twist the lid open once a day and let the gas out (no need to lift it. Then close it back again (this is called “burping” the jar).
After about 2 weeks the brine will clear again. This is a sign that the fermentation process is done. Your fermented tomatoes are ready for serving.
Fermented Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
200 gr fermented tomatoes
400 gr summer tomatoes
1 garlic clove
5 gr orégano
200 ml vegetable oil
5 gr salt
2,5 gr pepper
Instructions:
Add fermented tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, garlic clove, oregano, salt and pepper into the blender and in a high speed blend and add the oil little by little until the emulsion is complete and the texture is similar to a mayonnaise.
Togarashi vegan mayonnaise
Ingredients:
125 gr vegan mayonnaise
70 gr vegan sour cream
1 tablespoon of togarashi seasoning (you can find this at most Asian markets or online)
1 tablespoon of mirin
salt
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until they are well combined. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
