Oooh-Nagi (Vegan Unagi, Freshwater Eel)
Going vegan doesn't mean you have to miss out on fabulous food. This recipe turns eggplant into faux unagi, great for sushi rolls and bowls. It's crazy simple and really good!
Calories: 1470kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Italian Eggplant or several smaller Asian Eggplants
- Salt
Eel Sauce
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup mirin
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1-inch chunk of peeled fresh ginger crushed
Instructions
Make Eel Sauce
- Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and ginger in a small saucepan. Stir well.
- Bring to a simmer and continue simmering until reduced by half. Cool, and store in the refrigerator.
Prepare Eggplant
- Peel eggplant(s).
- Slice peeled eggplants lengthwise into ¼-inch slices (a mandolin, like this one I use, is great for this).
- Place sliced eggplant into a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Set the colander in your sink and let the slices sweat 30 minutes. Lightly rinse and pat dry after they are done.
Make Oooh-Nagi
- Preheat your oven to 375˚F
- Line baking sheets with silicone baking sheet (I like Silpat) or parchment paper. Lay out your prepared eggplant slices.
- Brush eggplant slices liberally with eel sauce, flip, and then brush the other side. After all pieces are coated, pop in the oven for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove, flip, coat with additional eel sauce, and return to oven for 10 minutes. The eel sauce gets all caramelized and golden, just like unagi. If it doesn't seem to be as caramelized as you want, repeat the brushing/flipping/and baking until it's how you like it.Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn.
- Remove from oven and use as desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 1470kcal | Carbohydrates: 354g | Protein: 28.9g | Fat: 1.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 14803.1mg | Potassium: 2265.2mg | Fiber: 15.6g | Sugar: 268.6g | Vitamin A: 105.3IU | Vitamin C: 10.1mg | Calcium: 438.6mg | Iron: 6.9mg