Cherry & Dennis Recipes

Japanese Nasu Dengaku Miso Eggplant

Name: Japanese Nasu Dengaku Miso Eggplant
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 700–800 g: wash, dry and halve into 8; reject rot, mould, severe softness or off odour Japanese or medium purple eggplants; 2 scallions, optional: add lightly at the end teaspoons white sesame, optional;; 80 g: check soy, wheat and sodium Miso; 3 tbsp: check alcohol and sugar mirin; 2 tbsp: food-grade cooking sake; 2 tbsp: sweet-savoury, not caramel sugar; 3 tbsp: use in portions, do not keep adding Cooking oil; 80 ml: only to steam-finish drinking water

日式味噌燒茄子

Japanese Nasu Dengaku Miso Eggplant — finished dish

Total time: 40 min
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 servings

Recipe overview

Japanese Nasu Dengaku Miso Eggplant is a classic Dengaku dish: nasu means eggplant, and Dengaku means food such as eggplant or tofu coated with miso and briefly broiled. Eggplant is pan-seared and steam-finished until soft before a thin miso glaze is broiled glossy with a few caramelised spots. It is not fish-fragrant, braised, mapo, tempura, curry or cheese-baked eggplant; it uses no minced meat, starch or large amount of cheese.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

700–800 g: wash, dry and halve into 8; reject rot, mould, severe softness or off odour Japanese or medium purple eggplants
2 scallions, optional: add lightly at the end teaspoons white sesame, optional;

Dengaku miso glaze

80 g: check soy, wheat and sodium Miso
3 tbsp: check alcohol and sugar mirin
2 tbsp: food-grade cooking sake
2 tbsp: sweet-savoury, not caramel sugar

For cooking eggplant

3 tbsp: use in portions, do not keep adding Cooking oil
80 ml: only to steam-finish drinking water

Japanese Nasu Dengaku Miso Eggplant — ingredients

Tools

28–30 cm nonstick skillet/lid, small saucepan, broiler, heatproof tray, parchment, spatula, tongs, wooden spoon, bowls, measuring tools, scale, knife, non-slip board, towels, oven mitts and four plates.
pot
oven
baking tray
baking paper
spatula
tongs
wooden spoon
bowl
measuring cup
measuring spoons
knife
cutting board
oven mitts
serving plate

Steps

Step 1

Inspect for rot, mould, softness or odour; wash and dry.

Step 2

On a non-slip board trim stems and halve into 8.

Step 3

Score 1.5 cm crosshatch, 5–8 mm deep, not through skin.

Step 4

Stir miso, mirin, sake and sugar on low 2–3 minutes.

Step 5

Remove when sugar dissolves and glaze is smooth/spreadable, not burnt.

Step 6

Preheat skillet over medium; add half oil.

Step 7

Sear cut-side down in one layer 3–4 minutes until golden.

Step 8

Turn skin-down, add little water, cover and steam-finish 4–6 minutes.

Step 9

Pierce thickest flesh; finish when soft but intact.

Step 10

Place cooked cut-side up on tray and spread thin miso.

Step 11

Broil 1–3 minutes under watch; remove at few golden-brown spots.

Step 12

Serve 2 halves each with sesame and scallion.

Common mistakes

rotten eggplant, not drying, cutting in air, scoring through skin or too shallow, oxidising too long, high-heat/burnt miso, undissolved sugar, glaze too thin or dry, cold pan, excess oil, unseared cuts, hard centres, excess water, glazing raw eggplant, thick glaze, leaving broiler, blackening, drying eggplant, starch, mince or much cheese, room-temperature leftovers.

Tips

choose glossy firm eggplant; wash/dry; use a non-slip board; score 1.5 cm and 5–8 mm without piercing; cook promptly; low-heat stir glaze until dissolved/spreadable; preheat, control oil; sear cut side gold; add little water and cover until soft; thin glaze cooked eggplant; broil watched 1–3 minutes; remove at few spots; refrigerate and reheat leftovers.