There are times when I look at my garden plaintively and pleadingly.

I’ve watered you, I’ve fed you. I’m given you sun and shade. So, why aren’t you cooperating and growing like you should?

Thankfully, though, there are other times when I examine something gleefully and come away filled with surprise.

That’s when I peer at my Japanese eggplant plant, and find it offering up not one, not two, but handfuls of slender, glossy, deep purple fruit (yes, fruit because technically that’s what they are).

“Eggplant Donburi” proved the perfect way to enjoy my latest harvest.

This rice-bowl dish couldn’t be easier or more homey tasting.

It’s from “Rice” (Smith Street Books), of which I received a review copy. Eight different writers contributed more than 80 recipes from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, India and elsewhere in Asia. The recipes highlight the beloved staple grain, and span both sweet and savory, and incorporate various cooking techniques.

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