Online recipe review: Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi

 Source information 

Source/parent Website	JUST ONE COOKBOOK
Article Title	Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi
Article URL	https://www.justonecookbook.com/soy-glazed-eggplant-donburi/

My UP1 draft 

  I would like to talk about my UP1.

1. I chose the recipe of Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi. This is because its picture looks delicious and I want to try cooking with oil. This recipe was written by Namiko Chen. The website is A popular food blog that shares authentic and easy-to-follow Japanese recipes, along with helpful cooking tips and beautiful food photography. The blog also includes travel guides and cultural insights, making it an excellent resource for anyone interested in Japanese cuisine and culture. This recipe is one- pan meal and that’s ready in 20 minutes. Also, It’s a satisfying Japanese vegan rice bowl that deserves a spot at your weeknight table 

By cooking it, I have to use some materials. For example, Japanese or Chinese eggplants, diamond crystal kosher salt, Shiso leaves, grated ginger, potato starch or cornstarch, neutral oil, mirin, soy sauce, cooked Japanese short grain rice, toasted white sesame seeds. 

2. I bought all materials in supermarket. After I went  back to my house, I started cooking. I didn’t change all materials and how to cook because preparing materials and cooking it was easy. 

 First, I cooked two cups of rice. 

 Second, slice 2 Japanese or eggplants lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Then, sprinkle with ½–1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Set aside for 15 minutes, then wipe off the moisture with a paper towel. 

 Third, rinse 10 shiso leaves and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut off and discard the stems. 

 Fourth, roll up the shiso leaves and cut them into chiffonade strips. Fifth, Put 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch in a small tray. Then, thinly coat both sides of the eggplant slices with the potato starch.

 Fifth,  heat a frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp of the 4 Tbsp neutral oil and distribute it in the pan. Then, add the eggplant slices in a single layer. Cook until the bottom side is golden brown, about 3–4 minutes. Until then, do not touch the eggplants in order to achieve a nice sear.

 Sixth, when the bottom side is nicely seared, drizzle another 2 Tbsp of the oil on top of the eggplant and flip the slices to cook the other side for an additional 3–4 minutes.

 Seventh,  once the second side is cooked to a golden brown color, reduce the heat to medium low. Add 4 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, and grated ginger.

 Eighth, bring it back to a simmer and spoon the sauce over the eggplant a few times. If the sauce thickens too fast (due to the potato starch), add 1 Tbsp water at a time to loosen it a bit. Remove from the heat when the eggplant is well-coated with the sauce.

 Ninth, In individual donburi bowls (a bit bigger than rice bowls), divide the 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice and drizzle some sauce on top of the rice.

 Finally , place the eggplant slices on top. For presentation, I overlap each slice slightly. Garnish on top with ½ tsp toasted white sesame seedsand shiso leaves. Serve immediately.

  It took about 30 minutes. It was difficult for me to reading this article. I was able to find all the ingredients.

3.  It was easy to cut eggplant and Shiso leaves. Also l could get all materials in one shop.

  However, it was difficult to use oil because it splashed and it was so hot.

   Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi was so delicious. Eggplant was smooth and juicy . Also, Shiso leaves was fresh taste. It went well with rice.

  I want to give ★★★★★ for this recipe because cooking it was easier than I had expected and its taste was nice.

4.  It was first time to cook Soy-Glazed Eggplant Donburi. I thought this recipe was difficult because I thought the recipe has many processes. However, the recipe was simple. I could cook easy and enjoy cooking. This article was clear and polite. For example, this article has detail of amount and the thing that I should pay attention to cook. Also, this recipe was written about eggplant and where it is eaten. So I could learn about eggplant and other information.

5.  Through this project, I learned that I should not assume that it’s difficult just by looking pictures. I also learned that even if the recipe is written by English. I can cook the meal correctly by reading the recipe carefully. I think the article and recipe is convenient to find cooking easy and delicious meals. When we want to cook a variety of meals, the article is the best. I want to recommend this article to people who don't have much experience in cooking or who are not good at cooking. This is because all recipes in this article is a polite. I think everyone can enjoy cooking by using the article. I want to try many kinds of things. Also, I enjoyed cooking in this project. So I want to challenge more recipes.