Eggplants in Australia are bigger than the ones in Japan and have harder skin.
Eggplants in Japan are similar to American eggplant or globe eggplant. Eggplants in Australia are not suitable for recipe which use whole eggplant with skin on, such as pickled eggplant or Japanese stew, but works great for other recipe which involves deep frying or removing skin including dengaku and grilled eggplants.Eggplant is best not to be kept under cold temperature, so it is recommended not to store them in the refrigerator.

01Rotate the eggplant and remove the stem with a knife. Make a slit along the skin near where the stem was, and make several slits lengthwise to make it easier to cook and remove the skin.

022. Place the eggplant on a well heated metal mesh over high heat and grill the whole eggplant by rotating it.

03 Rest the eggplant and then peel the skin. Cut into 3 to 4 pieces and arrange on a plate. Top with grated ginger and sesame seeds (optional) on the eggplant and pour soy sauce and serve. *For grated ginger, peel skin and grate appropriate amount of the ginger to taste.