Nasu Dengaku Broiled Japanese Eggplants With Miso Food

NASU DENGAKU - MISO GLAZED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• 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.
• 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 broil 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.

MISO EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan 160°C / 350°F / gas mark 4.
• Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and set aside.
• Halve the eggplants lengthways and flip them over. Cut a thin slice off the bottom's skin side in order to stabilise the eggplant.
• Flip it over again and score the flesh in diamond shapes. Be careful not to slice it all the way through.
• Place the eggplants in the lined baking tray and brush each half with half of the oil.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, checking halfway through to see if more oil is required. I.e. if it looks dry, give it a brush with oil. The eggplant should be soft at the end of cooking time.
• While the eggplants are baking, make the miso sauce.
• Place all the miso sauce ingredients, except the sesame oil, in a small pot and bring to simmer.
• Continue to cook until the miso paste and sugar has dissolved.
• Stir in the sesame oil. Remove the heat and retrieve the eggplants, once cooked.
• Preheat the broiler / grill.
• Baste each eggplant with equal amounts of miso sauce then place under the broiler / grill until caramelised and golden. This will take about 3-4 minutes.
• Decorate with sesame seeds and chives. Serve immediately as a starter. Enjoy!

NASU DENGAKU (BROILED JAPANESE EGGPLANTS WITH MISO)

Steps:

• Mix sake or wine with sugar and boil for a few minutes.
• Add miso to wine and cook just until miso is mixed in.
• Lightly brush or rub cut side of eggplants with sesame oil.
• Place eggplants cut side down under a broiler on high for 3 minutes.
• Turn eggplant over and broil another 3 minutes.
• Spread sesame mixture thinly over cut side of eggplant and return to broiler for about 1 minute.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle eggplants with sesame seeds and green onion.
• *Note if you have extra miso mixture it's great to add to a stirfry.

DENGAKU

Steps:

• Take tofu wrap it in paper towel, place in microwave for 1 minute. This will help pull the water out of it. Remove paper towel, pat down tofu with paper towel then cut it into domino sized pieces. In a sauce pan heat oil then add tofu cook until it browns then turn it and cook again until that side browns. Remove Tofu, place on paper towel to drain excess oil. In same sauce pan heat up the Rice Wine mix in sugar until it dissolves. Mix in Miso paste, turn off range/stove top and keep mixing until well blended. If it's still lumpy, no worries. Once it's mixed turn on range again add tofu and cook on high for 1 minute or so. Plate the tofu, then drizzle sauce over it.

NASU DENGAKU (GRILLED JAPANESE EGGPLANT WITH MISO PASTE)

Steps:

• For the sauce, whisk the dashi, sugar, mirin, miso and corn starch together. Heat over medium heat stirring until the sauce thickens. Take it off the heat and add the yuzu whisking it in to the sauce.
• For the eggplant, slice them in half lengthwise and score a criss-cross pattern into them to help retain the sauce. Brush with oil and grill on a BBQ or under a broiler until the tops are a dark brown and the eggplant is cooked. Give the sliced sides a good coating of sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds then put under a broiler to get a little caramelization (be careful, this sauce will burn quickly).
• Serve immediately with some rice.

JAPANESE EGGPLANT WITH MISO

Steps:

• In a bowl mix together miso, sugar, sake, mirin, sake and egg yolk.
• Wash eggplant and cut lengthways in 1cm thick pieces. Sprinkle with salt and leave ½ hour. Rinse, pat dry then brush with a little veg oil on both sides.
• Either BBQ, grill or panfry eggplant until soft.
• Spread one side with miso mix, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Grill for a few minutes until the miso bubbles on top.
• Serve, garnished with a little julienned spring onion greens.

STEAMED EGGPLANT WITH MISO SAUCE (NASU DENGAKU)

Steps:

• Score the eggplants.
• Pour enough oil to come 1/3 of the way up a pan or wok. Heat until a cube of bread browns in 12 seconds.
• Halve the eggplant lengthwise. Lower carefully into the oil. Cook until browned.
• Transfer the eggplant into a steamed basket.
• Place basket over a pan of simmering water. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Serve with the dressing.
• For the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined.