Let's get pumped about Eggplant!

Before I got into the restaurant business, my love for Japanese food came from traveling in Japan as a classical trumpet player. Some of my best food experiences came from dishes that surprised me, and agedashi nasu is one of them.  Before traveling to Japan, I really only associated Japanese food with Sushi, and in my 20s that meant not very good quality - usually from a grocery store or a cheap takeout spot. I had no idea the variety of hot dishes or cooked food that was part of the wide canon that makes up Japanese cuisine. 

Age Dashi Nasu (pronounced "Ah Gay Dashee Nasoo") is deep fried eggplant marinated in dashi - aka broth. I love the texture and deep homey comforting flavors that come out of the eggplant with this cooking style. We serve ours with a sprinkle of schichimi (seven spice seasoning) on top. This is a dish that you will commonly find at an "izakaya" or tapas/small plate bar/pub. It can also be made with tofu- age dashi tofu, which is breaded and fried tofu and marinated in broth. Currently, we are only selling the eggplant version. 

If you haven't tried age dashi nasu yet, definitely add it to your next order, the depth of flavor might surprise you! I hope, at Tampopo Kitchen, through the thought and care we put into our dishes, we can bring a little bit of comfort to the chaos of living in Manhattan.