Traditional Japanese Vegan Cuisine, Part 1 of 2 – Boiled Rice with Mixed Vegetables, Grilled Eggplant with Natto Sauce & Tangle Kelp Soup

Today, we are delighted to have Ms. Chikako show us how to prepare a 3-course traditional Japanese vegan meal for one. These wonderful, healthy, and delicious dishes are “Boiled Rice with Mixed Vegetables,” “Grilled Eggplant topped with Natto Sauce,” and “Tororo Kombu Soup.” Let’s make “Boiled Rice with Mixed Vegetables!” The ingredients are carrots, burdock root, maitake mushrooms, fried tofu, green soybeans (edamame), and organic rice. Let's cut the ingredients. First is the carrots; cut it into thin strips like this. Next is the burdock root. Remove the maitake mushrooms from its wrapper and just tear the mushrooms into pieces. Cut the fried tofu into strips. Inside the pot of the electric rice cooker, there are 1.5 cups of washed organic rice. So, let's add 1.5 cups of water to a one-to-one ratio. Next, add two tablespoons of concentrated kombu soup stock seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. Then add a teaspoon of beet sugar. Mix all the seasonings with the rice. Add the ingredients on top of the rice, one batch at a time. All the ingredients are now in the pot of the electric rice cooker. Switch on the electric rice cooker and the dish will be ready in about 20 minutes. Natto is another traditional Japanese food that has thousands of years of history. Now, let’s make “Grilled Eggplant topped with Natto Sauce”. The ingredients are one round eggplant, half a pack of natto, a small amount of mustard paste, grated Japanese radish, seven-flavor chili pepper (Shichimi), and some white sesame seeds. Let's light the fire and grill the eggplant. First, grill one side for three minutes or so over medium heat. Then, stir the natto. Let's take a look at the eggplant. I’ll grill the other side on medium heat. It looks like it's done, so let’s place it on a plate. Let me cut it with a knife and fork. I’ll place the natto on the eggplant. Let’s cook the “Tororo Kombu Soup”! Place the tororo kombu in a bowl. Add the rehydrated wheat gluten. For the soy sauce, add the amount according to your preference. Then, just pour in hot water. Let me add the okra and nameko mushrooms as garnishing.