Hello friends! Today, I want to introduce you to a beautiful and refreshing Japanese dish called “Chasen Eggplant” (Chasen-nasu).
It’s vegetarian-friendly, easy to make, and inspired by the graceful world of Japanese tea ceremony.
What’s “Chasen”?
In Japanese tea culture, a chasen is a bamboo whisk used to mix matcha.
It has a delicate, fan-like shape—and this dish mimics that look by slicing eggplant in a special way. Pretty cool, right?
Why This Dish Is Special
Japanese cooking isn’t just about taste—it’s also about “visual beauty”.
Even a simple vegetable like eggplant can become elegant with a few thoughtful cuts.
When served in a glass bowl, this dish looks cool and refreshing—perfect for summer or as a light appetizer.
And guess what? It tastes best when chilled!
2 servings
- 2 eggplants （Smaller eggplants work best for this recipe）
- Water (enough to soak)
- 600ml hot water
- 4 tablespoons shiro-dashi (Japanese soup base)
Tip: If you don’t have shiro-dashi, you can use powdered kombu dashi instead.
To use the whole eggplant without waste, cut off the stem right where it meets the cap.
In this recipe, we peeled the skin before shaping it like a chasen, but you can also leave the skin on if you prefer.
Adjust the number of cuts depending on the size of your eggplant.
The flavor and strength of shiro-dashi can be different depending on the brand.
Please check the package and use the amount it recommends.
Feel free to adjust it to match your taste!
- Keep the stem on the eggplant. Use a knife to gently score around the base to help peel it later.
- Peel the skin with a peeler, leaving the stem part.
- Make six cuts down the body of the eggplant, about 1cm deep. Be careful not to cut all the way through!
- Soak in water for 10 minutes.
- Boil 600ml water, add shiro-dashi, and place the drained eggplants in the pot.
- Use a drop lid (otoshibuta) to gently press the eggplants down.
- If you don’t have a wooden lid, a piece of kitchen paper works just fine!
- Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Cool completely, then chill in the fridge.
- To serve, hold the stem with chopsticks and give it a gentle twist to show off the chasen shape.
Sprinkle sesame seeds if you like!
This dish is inspired by Japanese style.It shows how Japanese people care about simple beauty, seasons, and nice presentation.I hope you can feel a bit of Japan through this food.
Do you use drop lids in your country?
I’d love to hear how you cook eggplant!
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your “chasen eggplant”.