This is a classic Japanese dish that you have probably tasted, but did you know that it is actually so easy to make? Plus it’s super quick too.
I am a real fan of Japanese dishes. A lot of them are so simple too, although when I was younger, I had no idea they were pretty easy to make! Clearly, this does not apply to all of them – I have really only stuck to the less technical ones thus far.
I chose to use baby aubergines for my dish – it’s easier to get my kids to eat the smaller ones and to be honest they take less time to cook too so it’s a win win!
The other bonus with this dish is that it’s Vegan, and as I don’t have many Vegan dishes this will be added to my slowly growing list 🙂
As you will have gathered, I do like to add spice if it a dish benefits from it in my opinion. For this one, a light sprinkle of Shichimi Togarishi on the finished dish definitely tantalises my taste buds!
Ok well let’s not muck around, here’s the recipe:
Miso Aubergine (Nasu Dengaku)
Ingredients
- 8-10 baby aubergine or 2 large aubergine
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp cooking saké
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 100-125 ml white miso paste
- 1 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- sesame seeds and grated ginger to dress
- ½ tsp shichimi togarishi
Instructions
- Halve all the aubergines lengthways and score them in a criss cross diamond pattern.
- Soak the aubergines in a bowl of cold water and leave for 5 minutes to get rid of the bitter taste that some have, especially the larger ones.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. Mix the miso, mirin, brown sugar, saké and rice wine together in a small bowl.
- Drain the aubergines. Heat the oil in a frying pan and place the aubergine, cut side down into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes before flipping them over. Leave in the pan, but cover and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes until the aubergine is soft and cooked through.
- Pre heat the grill to a medium heat.
- Place the cooked aubergines on a baking tray and spread the miso glaze over them. Place under the grill for around 2 minutes, until the miso glaze is warmed and bubbling.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds, shichimi and the grated ginger. Serve as is, or on top of rice.