Eggplant "Unagi"

Put the rice in a small saucepan with the rice vinegar and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer, cover, and cook undisturbed until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. When the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and keep covered.

Rinse the eggplant and poke a few holes in the skin with a fork. Turn on your broiler, put the eggplant on a baking sheet, and put it in the oven, close to the heat source. Cook, turning occasionally, until until the entire eggplant is evenly charred and softened, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the eggplant cooks, make your sauce. Put the sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan over medium heat — don’t stir! Bring to a simmer, watching constantly so it doesn't boil over. Simmer until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 6 minutes. Fill a medium pot with a few inches of water and a pinch of salt. Set to boil, to steam the gai lan later.

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, cut the stem off and discard it. Split the eggplant in half. Gently scoop out some of the seeds from both halves with a spoon — don’t worry about getting all of them, just the ones in the very center. Brush both halves of the eggplant generously with the sauce.

Rinse the gai lan and put it in the pot with the boiling water. Steam until tender and bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add the edamame to your brown rice, and put the cover back on for a few minutes. Use a fork to fluff the edamame and rice. Drain the gai lan, and toss it with the sesame seeds; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put a scoop of the edamame sticky rice into a bowl or on a plate. Top with the broiled eggplant “unagi”. Serve with the sesame gai lan on the side, and pass any remaining kabayaki sauce around at the table. Itadakimasu (let’s eat)!