Holding the warm rice bowl between your hands and smelling matsutake gohan is one of the simple luxury the Japanese enjoys during fall. Fresh matsutake mushroom are available now so enjoy them before the season is over.
Ponzu sauce is very versatile, it’s probably best known as the dipping sauce for Japanese shabu shabu. It’s also popular with thinly sliced halibut or sea bream sashimi. I enjoy experimenting with ponzu sauce and found it goes really well with pan fried eggplants. Garnish with shiso to add more complexity to this delicious vegetarian recipe.