Ingredients

• 
  Eggplants
• 2 long eggplants
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 150 g of ground beef
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 
  Candied sweet potatoes (Daigaku-imo)
• 1 big sweet potato
• 2 small red onions
• half beefsteak tomato
• 5 g of salt
• 30 g of mirin
• 30 g of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 g of MSG
• 3 tablespoons of molasses
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons of oil

Preparation

• Eggplants

• Get 2 long eggplants, wash them, and cut the top part
• Place 2 wooden spoons (of equal size) on the sides of the eggplant and with a knife cut slices of 2 cm. Use the spoons to prevent cutting through the eggplants completely
• Brush the eggplants with 1 teaspoon of salt, also inside the cuts
• Brush some olive oil around the eggplant, including the cuts
• Preheat an oven at 190 °C and place the eggplants inside over parchment paper. Let them cook for 30 minutes, then let them cool down completely
• Get 150 g of ground beef, add 1 egg, and 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• Season with Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder, Thyme, MSG
• Mix and divide into small portions (about 15 g each)
• In a plate add breadcrumbs, press the mix, and create flat discs; be sure to have breadcrumbs on both sides
• Add some olive oil in a pan, and add the meatball discs. Cook 3 minutes per side
• Slice 3 Roma tomatoes as thin disks, salt the slices
• Chop some mozzarella in thin slices and cut them same size as the tomatoes and meatballs
• Fill the cuts of the now cold eggplants, alternating meatballs, tomatoes, and mozzarella
• Place them in the oven, not preheated, at 160 °C for 5 minutes
• Use the parchment paper to move the eggplants to a dish

• Candied sweet potatoes (Daigaku-imo)

• Wash well 1 big sweet potato, and cut it into bite-size pieces, keeping the skin
• Boil in salted water for 5 minutes, drain, and let it cool down
• Chop 2 small red onions
• Chop also the green stems
• Chop half beefsteak tomato into small dice
• In a bowl mix 5 g of salt with 30 g of mirin and 30 g of soy sauce
• Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 g of MSG
• Add 3 tablespoons of molasses and 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and mix well
• In a pan add 2 tablespoons of oil and have it on high heat
• Add the chopped sweet potatoes, add the chopped onions, and cook for 1 minute
• Add the liquid mixture and cook on high flame until the liquid thickens (about 5 minutes)

• Side dish

• Stack the the remaining Roma tomatoes, meatballs, and mozzarella, and add a small basil leaf. Use half toothpicks to keep them stacked

Video