Vegan Miso Aubergine
An easy vegan-friendly recipe for miso aubergine - tender slivers of aubergine caramelised with a sticky miso glaze that's part sweet, part salty and high in umami!
Ingredients
For the miso glaze
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 3 tbsp jaggery/ jaggery syrup (alternatively use sugar)
- 3 tbsp miso (preferably red miso; if using a lighter miso, increase to 4 tbsp)
For the aubergine dengaku
- 2 aubergines (see recipe notes)
- olive oil for brushing (alternatively use a neutral-flavoured oil)
- black sesame seeds, toasted (for garnish)
Instructions
Prepare the miso glaze
- Combine the sake and mirin in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Then turn the heat to the lowest setting and whisk in the miso and jaggery, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes until the jaggery has dissolved and the glaze has thickened. Be careful to ensure that the miso does not burn. Remove from heat.
Prepare the aubergine dengaku
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
- Slice the aubergine lengthwise in half. Use a knife to score a diamond (criss-cross) pattern across the flesh. Immediately immerse the aubergine pieces in cold water and then drain/ pat-dry completely with a kitchen towel.
- Brush oil across the top and bottom of the aubergine pieces. Place each piece with its skin down on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or so until tender (but not fully roasted).
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and pre-heat the broiler (top heating element) in your oven for a couple of minutes.
- Brush the miso glaze generously across the aubergine halves and make sure that each crevice is evenly coated with sticky glaze.
- Put the baking tray back in the oven, placing it six inches under the broiling/ top heating element. Broil the aubergine pieces for 4 -5 minutes until you can see the miso glaze bubbling and a caramelised char developing on the surface.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot , with a garnish of black toasted sesame seeds on top!
Notes
- If using "globe" aubergines (standard American eggplant), try to choose individual pieces which are not too large in size. This is because if the aubergine is too big/ deep, the miso glaze might not seep all the way through whilst broiling. It is preferable to use Japanese/ Chinese eggplant if available.
- Leftover miso glaze can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.