Japanese-Style Eggplant Pasta with Ume and Shiso

Use the chicken tenderloin as is, without removing the tendon. Sprinkle about 1% salt on both sides and let it rest for about 10 minutes to draw out moisture.

Trim only the end of the eggplant stem and cut into random chunks. Do not peel, and if cooking right away, there is no need to soak out the bitterness.

Leave the garlic unpeeled and simply crush it. It will be cooked slowly together with the eggplant.

Remove the tough central vein from the 6 shiso leaves, julienne half (for finishing) and finely chop the rest (for the sauce). Cutting so that the underside, which holds more aromatic compounds, is exposed brings out the fragrance.

Carefully pat dry the moisture released from the chicken. Toast the white sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and remove them once they are warm and fragrant.

Add a generous amount of olive oil to the heated frying pan, arrange the crushed garlic, the eggplant skin-side down, and the chili pepper, and turn on the heat. Heat until the oil bubbles.

Once the oil bubbles, toss the eggplant to coat it in the oil, then turn it skin-side down again and lower the heat. Cook slowly for about 10 minutes. Do not add more oil even as it absorbs the oil; wait until the eggplant releases the oil back.

Once the eggplant is soft and has released its oil, lift it up to let the oil drain off, transfer it to a tray, season lightly with salt, and set aside.

Start boiling the spaghetti in water salted at 30 g per 2 L. At the same time, heat another frying pan and add the chicken with its moisture patted dry.

Once the pan is hot, break up the softened garlic with a fork and remove the core, then coat the chicken in the garlic oil to infuse it with aroma.

Add water instead of pasta cooking water, turn the heat to high, and loosen the aglio e olio base. Add shiro-dashi and 5-6 g of ume paste, and once it comes to a boil, let the tartness and aroma of the ume dissolve in.

Pour the finished sauce over the chicken and cook it through, then remove the chicken and set it aside with the eggplant. Add the cooked pasta, emulsify over high heat, and mix in plenty of the julienned shiso.

Return the fried eggplant and toss, then shred the chicken, removing the tough tendon as you add it. Sprinkle with the toasted white sesame seeds and plate. Since this is a Japanese-style pasta, it can be a little saucier.