Asian Eggplant Dishes, Part 2
Saturday. Having fed the cats, I’m unpacking the dishwasher. The cats sit in the middle of the kitchen floor staring up, down, moving to the new section of the wooden floor, then stared up, down. They walk purposefully into the adjacent dining area and stare up, then down; move to the new section of the wooden floor, then stare over, then down; walk to the new spot then stare over and down again. They play tag team back and forth between the two rooms for ~30 minutes. I remain focussed on cleaning.
“You getting that?” says Chaos to Rascal.
“Yup, definitely.” replies Rascal. “Should we tell Mom?”
“Nah, let’s just see how long it takes her.”
“Ok! Wanna nap?”
“Sure.” They wander off.
There is just something… off.
It’s later and we head down to turn off our brains with an inane TV show. My husband snags the remotes and reclines on the long section of the couch in his usual spot. I switch the laundry, and walking towards the sofa, I feel something under my slipper on the brand spanky-new raspberry colored carpet, but it’s just one of Rascal’s twigs. He carries them inside in his mouth, like the cat-dog he is. I pick it up to toss into the garden in the morning. I sit, put a plush pillow behind my back, lay a blanket on my lap and settle in in my usual spot. We pick a show and settle in.
“Do you hear that?” asks my hubbie.
“Hear what?” I ask. He mutes the TV and listens. Nothing. “Huh” he says unmuting to resume the show. A few minutes pass.
“Wait… mute please” I say, reaching out to touch his arm. “Now I hear something.” I lean forward to listen. “Anything?” We listen.
“Where is it coming from” he asks.
“Over towards you, I think.” We listen, a vague uneasiness descending.
****
Both bunny and deer resistant, eggplant are particularly abundant in late Summer and Fall. Bushes are prolific so get those recipes ready!
Nasu are a short, firm variety of eggplant favored by the Japanese. They seem sweeter than the globe-shaped American eggplant. Less readily available in the US, to this day, one usually has to go to an Asian market to find them, even in the Asian-centric Seattle, but they are worth the trip.
Unlike salty American or German cucumber pickles, nasu are used to make quickly-made, fresh pickles called ‘Tsukemono’. Common preparations are stuffed, w/ginger, in mustard, or floating in ice water. Tsukemono made with fresh nasu are a healthy treat, quickly made, eaten fresh and delicious.
****
“Aha” smiles Chaos, glancing sideways at Rascal.
“How long will this take? Which one of them will figure it out? He doesn’t speak cat. Should we tell Mom?” chirps Rascal in quick sequence.
“Nah. More fun this way” Chaos says slowly, coyly as he settles down onto the brand spanky-new raspberry colored carpet to watch.
There is just something… off .
To be continued…
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Cover image by: Northern Lights Photography, 1980, "Suzie".
Images in this article by: T.Tseng, 2017, "Nasu nibitashi: japanese eggplant, myoga, grated daikon". Source: Pixabay
