The literal translation of the Japanese noun å—è›® (namban) is southern barbarians,, an epithet often reserved for the early European visitors to Japan, or å—蛮人 (nambanjin), who first arrived at the southern-most islands of that archipelago during the late 16th century. These early Catholic missionaries and Portuguese and Spanish traders were clearly not well liked to earn such a name!
However, the noun å—è›® on its own also means cayenne pepper. Today’s recipe is for grilled cayenne pepper eggplant, and you’re going to love it as much as my potluck-dinner-having board-gamer friends did two weekends ago. It’s adapted from the book ãŠã¤ã¾ã¿ (otsumami, or “snacks,” or as I learned it, “obligatory free appetizers you get when you order an alcoholic drink at many Japanese restaurants”), a fantastic cookbook of 478 small dishes.
Recipe follows after the break. Photo coming shortly.