Miso glazed eggplant
Another day, another eggplant recipe. I can’t help it, I just love them so much. And Japanese cuisine is my favorite, so this comes as no surprise. But this post wasn’t really planned, I made it by chance. Miso glazed eggplant (nasu dengaku) is a recipe I saved a while ago. It is a Japanese side dish, and it’s basically fried/baked eggplant with a miso based sauce on top.
Since I live in a small Bosnian town, not many ingredients are always available to me. I couldn’t find white miso for the longest time. And when I recently found out that they have it in a local store, I knew right away what I wanted to make with it.
This recipe also requires mirin, but that is something I couldn’t get my hands on. My friend visited from Germany recently and brought me some sake, so I decided to make this dish anyway. In my opinion, it turned out wonderful. If I ever get my hands on some mirin, I will let you know how it went.
And if anyone has an idea what else I should do with my remaining white miso paste, I am all ears. Feel free to give me some ideas.
Today’s recipe is short and sweet, so no additional tips and tricks are needed. I am sure you’re going to love this one as much as I did.
Some health benefits
Eggplant provides a good amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals in few calories. They are high in anthocyanins, a pigment with antioxidant properties that can protect against cellular damage.
Some animal studies have found that eggplants may improve heart function and reduce LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, though human research is needed. They can help promote weight loss. It can also be used in place of higher-calorie ingredients.
Eggplants contain solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides, which test-tube studies indicate may aid in cancer treatment.
Sesame contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. It’s also rich in anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fats. It is full of antioxidants, including the lignan sesamin. In animal studies, sesamin has exhibited numerous health benefits. Yet, more research in humans is needed.
Sesame seeds may decrease risk factors for heart disease and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Sesame oil and sesame seed extract have been shown to exhibit antibacterial qualities in test-tube and animal studies. These effects are believed to be due to the healthy fats and antioxidants they contain. However, more research is needed. Sesame contains compounds that may promote brain health and protect nerve cells, according to test-tube and animal research. It also contains compounds that may have anticancer properties.
Sesame seeds contain compounds that may protect your liver and kidneys from damage.
I think that these are some pretty good reasons to try and include eggplant and sesame into your meals every now and then.
Miso glazed eggplant
Ingredients
1 medium-sized eggplant
chopped scallions
1 tsp of sesame seeds
oil for frying
1 tsp of sesame oil
- For the miso glaze:
2 tbsp of white miso paste
1 tsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of water
1 + ½ tsp of sugar
1 tsp of sake
Directions
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 F).
- Cut the eggplant in half, lengthwise. Cut the eggplant “meat” side in criss-cross, like in the pictures. Drizzle some oil on a non-stick pan and heat it on medium heat. Spread some oil on both eggplant halves (meat side). Place them in the pan, skin side down, and cover with a lid.
- Cook the eggplants for about 7 minutes. Flip them (meat side down) and cook for 3 more minutes with a lid on. Remove the pan from the stove.
- In a small saucepan mix together all the miso glaze ingredients. Heat them on medium heat while mixing from time to time, until it becomes a little bit thicker. Remove the miso glaze from the stove, add the sesame oil and stir. Spread the miso over the eggplant halves.
- Put them on a sheet of parchment paper and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 3 minutes (or until the top becomes golden). Take the miso glazed eggplant out, sprinkle it with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve the miso glazed eggplant while it is still hot.
If you liked this recipe, make sure you check out my other recipes like:
– vegan cheung fun (rice noodles)
Feel free to tell me what you think about this in the comments below, or send me the pictures of your own vegan miso glazed eggplant. If you did something differently, I would also like to hear that, I’d love to see the things you come up with.
P.S. for more recipes like this and a bunch of other stuff, follow me on Instagram, @margo_drobi.
Also, I recently started a Patreon page, where you can subscribe and help me create more/better content. In return, you will get an exclusive piece of content (recipe) each month. My plan is to increase the amount of that content if I gain a few subscribers. If you are interested and you want to find out more, I will leave the link to my Patreon right – here.