Miso Aubergine or Nasu Dengaku Recipe

Name: Miso Aubergine or Nasu Dengaku Recipe
Ingredients: 2 large eggplants; 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil; 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) of water 4 tablespoons Hatcho miso paste; 4 tablespoons mirin or sake (or a mix of both); 8 (additional) tablespoons (1/2 cup) of sake; 2 tablespoons of honey or sugar; Optional toppings: Sesame seeds; spring onions; ginger; chives; toasted almonds – all sliced thinly

Published on October 20, 2016 | By The Chef House |

0 Comments

Are you thinking about revamping your diet? Perhaps you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight, improve your sense of wellbeing, or you’ve had a cholesterol test and need to change your ways? No matter what your motivation is, eating lots of vegetables is an important part of any healthy, balanced diet – it’s especially true if you’re trying to improve your cholesterol test results, but we should all really be getting our five-a-day.

The trick is to find recipes that put vegetables at the centre of the meal. This tasty Japanese aubergine recipe does just that. It’s a traditional meal, usually eaten when the aubergines are ripest in the middle of summer.

A simple sweet and savoury sauce is mixed from miso paste and spread over the aubergine after cooking for a smoky, intense flavour. Serve with other vegetable dishes and baked tofu for a truly authentic dinner.

The photo credit is from Jonathan Oo

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) of water 4 tablespoons Hatcho miso paste
4 tablespoons mirin or sake (or a mix of both)
8 (additional) tablespoons (1/2 cup) of sake
2 tablespoons of honey or sugar
Optional toppings: Sesame seeds, spring onions, ginger, chives, toasted almonds – all sliced thinly

Instructions

Start by preparing your aubergines: cut each one lengthways and score the flesh downwards and across to make cubed sections (but be careful not to cut right through – each half should still all be in one piece).
Cook the aubergines gently in a lidded saucepan with the oil, flesh side down, until they are soft and brown. Then flip over and spread on the sake. Leave to cook again with the saucepan lid on, letting all the sake steam off.
Next flip the aubergines back so the cut side is next to the saucepan and add the water. Cover with the lid and continue cooking. This will steam them further, making the flesh soft and tender.
While they are cooking, make the sauce: mix the miso, mirin/sake and honey or sugar in a small saucepan on a medium heat until they combine completely. Take off the heat once made to keep it from reducing too much.
When the eggplants are cooked, remove them from the pan and place two halves on each plate, cut side up. Pour a liberal amount of the sauce over them and add any toppings. Eat immediately! The flesh should fall apart easily, and the flavour should be a tangy combination of savoury and sweet. Enjoy!
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring! No matter what your reasons are for changing your diet – weight, cholesterol test results, wellbeing – this delicious recipe will help you continue to make meals that you look forward to at the end of the day.