Age-Nibitashi (Dashi Soaked Vegetables)

I know I’m a little late, but to honor Father’s day, I am going to share with you my mom’s recipe!

Why mom’s recipe??

Well, whenever I ask my dad what his favorite food is, his answer is always mom’s food.

So, I figured I’ll share with you something she always makes during the summer time!

Nibitashi is a cooking method of braising vegetables and soaking into dashi broth.

Obviously braising works perfectly fine, and it’ll taste delicious, but what my mom likes to do is deep frying the veggies.

This technique is called “Suage.”

What it does is that it removes the bitterness of certain vegetables like eggplants and the coating of oil actually prevents vegetables from discoloration.

By deep frying them, veggies would be crispy on the outside, and they soak up the broth so nicely. This makes them extra juicy and delicious!

It might sound a little unhealthy, but trust me, this little change in cooking method makes such a huge difference.

Obviously, it tastes amazing, but the colors of this dish is just so beautiful! It’s such a perfect dish for hot summer days!

I’ll share with you two broth recipes because why not? It’s more fun that way.

Anyways, here ya go😊

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Print Recipe

Age Nibitashi

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 1/2 kabocha
• 1/2 bag green beans
• 2 asian eggplants 1 normal eggplant
• 1 lotus root
• deep-frying oil

Broth 1

• 1 tsp ginger paste (or grated ginger)
• 1 tsp dashi powder
• 3 tbsp sake (or white wine)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sugar
• 200 cc water

Broth 2

• 200 cc ponzu
• 2 tsp sugar

Instructions

• Cut all the vegetables into small pieces. (You don't have to peel the skin of kabocha)
• Heat the oil until it's about 375F.
• Deep fry vegetables until they're cooked (usually about a few minutes). Once they're done, set them aside on a cooling rack or paper towels.
  
• For Broth 1, combine all the ingredients together in a pot and let it boil.
• Add the vegetables into the broth mixture and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Transfer everything into a bowl or a container and let it cool. (I usually leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.)
• For broth 2, combine ponzu and sugar in a bowl or a container, and add vegetables. Let it cool.