Article 018: The Garden, Voices of Eggplant and Radish
Article Summary
The pungency of radish that a tired body calls for after garden work.
Days spent exploring the right "care" in scoring eggplant.
The wisdom of adding iron to nukadoko, trial and error with iron kettles, time etched into Arita-yaki pottery bowls.
Pausing at the threshold of the garden to listen to what the body says.
Cherishing transformation—fermentation, rust, fading.
Category
Cooking
- I write here one scene from my life within Japanese food culture.
I hope you might read this with the quiet feeling of sitting around embers.
1. The Bite of Grated Radish
- Simmered atsuage and eggplant with grated daikon
- Ikura tucked in kamaboko
The weather finally turned mild, so I began tackling the garden cleanup I'd been putting off.
Once I started, one thing led to another—more and more tasks caught my eye.
I should have stopped, but I got carried away and kept going. By the time I was done, I'd moved too much. Today, I have no appetite.
When this happens, I always ask my wife to prepare something with daikon radish.
This has become a long habit of mine, and the taste my wife makes for me.
I use the sharp, pungent end of grated daikon as a condiment.
When I place a little of this condiment on top of ikura and eat it, it pairs well with the fish cake, and I enjoy how the flavors shift.
Then, the grated radish that's soaked up the simmering liquid at the bottom of the dish, combined with ikura, on rice—that's what I look forward to.
Strangely enough, this usually brings my appetite back. At least, that's how it works for me.
Now, I'd like to write about eggplant.
2. How Eggplant Looks
I feel it's important to score eggplant with care.
Doing so makes it far easier to eat.
However, I find the right degree of "care" difficult to judge. Sometimes the eggplant falls apart in the pot, or the flavor doesn't penetrate enough.
To get it right, I need to adjust based on how firm the eggplant is.
If it's just eggplant alone, it's simple. But when I combine it with atsuage, I've struggled.
Getting the flavor to soak evenly into each ingredient is the challenge.
I've scored the soft flesh of eggplant too deeply and watched it collapse in the broth.
I've tried various approaches—poking holes in the atsuage with a fork to help the flavor in, among other things.
Some might say, "Once it's in your mouth, it's all the same." But I believe appearance is also an essential part of a dish.
So this remains something I care about.
3. Nukadoko
To prevent eggplant from discoloring, I add iron to my nukadoko to preserve its natural hue.
This is something I learned from an acquaintance who tended a nukadoko bed when I first became interested in fermented foods.
It's an old method, effective for keeping eggplant's color.
I also learned to use a spare refrigerator to manage the nukadoko during seasons when fruit flies become a concern.
This measure proved very helpful. Even in the humid heat of summer, it reduced how often I needed to stir the bed.
The iron I use in my nukadoko is a "Nambu tekki pickling iron ball."
When I bought mine, it had a plain, utilitarian shape. Now, there are many charming designs available.
4. The Taste of Iron Rust
Following that line of thought, I became curious about the possibilities of iron and tried several iron kettles and pots.
Unfortunately, I couldn't discern much difference or effect among iron kettles and pots.
However, the tea did taste better to me.
As a side note, I was initially concerned about maintaining an iron kettle.
So to start, I simply dropped a "pickling iron ball" into the water when boiling.
Even with this method, I could enjoy tea without much difference in taste.
However, if I let the water cool and then drank it, I often found the iron smell and taste too strong.
I learned it's important to drink it while still warm.
Later, I bought an iron pot that had been left unsold.
I was delighted and tried all sorts of things. Miso soup made in the iron pot tasted distinctly better to me.
I was so pleased that I made extra, thinking I'd eat it in two sittings.
But the next morning, when I lifted the lid, the appearance and taste had changed considerably.
I believe this was due to iron leaching into the food.
From this, I learned that when using iron pots or kettles, it's important to finish everything in one meal.
Related to this, please also see
Article 016: Nukazuke and Mizuna
which goes into detail about mizunasu nukaduke.
5. Arita-yaki pottery bowl
The yellow dish I used for the simmered food this time is an Arita-yaki pottery bowl.
It's a convenient size, and at our house, we rely on it daily at the table.
- Simmered gobo and tsuwabuki
Where I Bought It
I visit "Arita Sera / Arita Será" in Arita Town, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture at least once a year.
For details, please see the official website.
Link: https://www.arita.gr.jp/
Size
When held with both hands, it has just the right weight and height—easy to handle.
Feel in the Hand
The surface isn't too smooth, so it fits comfortably in the hand.
However, when serving oily dishes and picking it up with one hand, I need to be thoughtful about where I place my fingers.
Oil makes it slippery, so I handle it with care when lifting.
When I Use It
We use it for everyday meals.
It's very useful for serving small portions of food.
The gold trim and yellow color add brightness to the table.
Because of this, we use it quite often.
As a result, after years of use, the gold trim has faded.
I enjoy this fading as a change in scenery.
- Eggplant with yuzu miso
- Tofu with yuzu miso
- Salad
Ease of Handling
It's easy to hold when washing, and I feel secure washing it alongside other dishes.
This ease of cleaning may be another reason it appears at the table so often.
In daily meal preparation, a dish that's easy to use is truly important to us.
6. Summary for This Time
「なはまぐち なすびすずしろ なれにほひ」
[Naha magouti Nassoubi souzouchiro Narénio hi]
Na, Ha, Ma, Goût, Chi, Nas, Bise, Su, Su, Shiro, Na, Ray, Ni, Oh, Hi.
Mal de dos de la brique, mal de ventre de la fleur, vertige du paravent.
Related Links
Mizunasu Nukaduke
Article 016: Nukazuke and MizunaArita Sera / Arita Será
Link: https://www.arita.gr.jp/Read this article in other languages:
Available languages: 日本語 English Français 繁體中文
References
Please use the link below for references.
The references used this time are: 器 01, 器 02, 工 01.
Audio Data (Sound): 2025_018_ja01
Audio Data (Reading): 202518_0_ja02 (In progress)
Microsoft Clipchamp: Brigitte, VOICEVOX: 四国めたん
End of Article
- I hope to bring small discoveries and a sense of nostalgia to your table.