September is a rather transitional month when it comes to food, with days fluctuating between hot and cold. In terms of produce, summer vegetables are still quite delicious, but we start to want heartier flavors. In fact, some vegetables that were in season all summer are actually better tasting in the fall, such as eggplant.

Fall eggplant, or akinasu, were traditionally thought to be so delicious that there was a proverb saying they shouldn't be given to your daughter-in-law. Whether this was mean-spirited or out of concern for her well-being — eggplant is thought to cool the body, which would be bad as the temperature drops — is up for debate.

This recipe has plenty of fall eggplant, as well as bell pepper and zucchini. I call it a “Japanese ratatouille” since it's made just like the classic dish from Provence, except that I add a flavorful, spicy meat sauce to give it a Japanese-Chinese twist. The key here is to cook each vegetable separately, since they all have different cooking times. This may seem like an extra step, but the results are worth it, and time-wise it doesn't take much longer than throwing everything into the pan at once. Vary the amount of doubanjiang, a spicy Chinese bean paste, depending on how hot you'd like it to be. This is great spooned over plain rice.