Ingredients
Base
- 2 small eggplant (Italian round, not asian long)
- 2 Tbsp canola oil or other neutral oil
Sauce
- 1/4 cup miso paste (I use awase miso which is a mix of both red and white miso paste)
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp sake
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice eggplant in half and using a knife, score the inside in small squares.
- In a pan over high heat, add oil and put the eggplant skin facing down.
- Cook for a few minute until skin is brown. Turn the eggplant over and cover with a lid. Cook until eggplant is cooked through (about 3 to 4 minutes).
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix miso, mirin, sugar and sake. ( I use my blender cup... lazy)
- Cover a cooking tray with foil and place the eggplant on top. Brush miso dengaku mix on top of each eggplant until all the surface is coated.
- Put in the oven and grill for 4 minutes. The miso mix should be bubbling when you take it out of the oven.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve hot.
Notes
- The pickledplum.com has a great video on this, along with an abundance of extra info on this dish and all its parts. They also recommend you serve it immediately.
- I find the flavour and texture combination remind me of eel rice... especially with the charred skin left on... perfect to mulch through some steamed rice. As such, i frequently just dice my eggplant, even more likely if i have a handful of smaller fruits from a late harvest. I still brown them off in the pan, but rather than painting the sauce and grilling it, I serve up the rice into a dish, smooth it out, add the eggplant chunks, pour over some sauce and either grill or attack it with a blowtorch for a little char... I'm a bad person. Enjoy!
- I find that there is a little too much sauce for this recipe... So, I tend to make a double batch or more... I also don't buy eggplant, I grow them so maybe that makes it easier to justify?