1 large aubergine
4 tbsp oil (I used pressed seasame oil but any thing which doesnt have a strong flavour is good)
2 tbsp brown rice miso
2 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp mirin (or rice wine vinegar)
sesame seeds for garnish
(serves 2)
In my house we eat a lot of miso. It’s a great ingredient to have in your cupboard for adding a flavour kick to almost anything, not just Japanese dishes. Miso is a fermented paste made from some sort of grain or pulse. There are many types and the taste ranges from salty/sweet to intense salty umami, almost beef flavour. There’s lots of ways to use it, in sauces, to marinade, to add depth to a stock or soup, in desserts to temper sweetness and even in butter (incredible on fried mushrooms!) and on aubergine.
This recipe is from a book called Hashi by Reiko Hashimoto. Its very simple and quick and makes a great meal with some seasoned or stir fried rice. The sauce can be used on lot of veg other than aubergine so you could make a big batch and keep it in the fridge. You could even turn it into a salad dressing by adding oil.
We have Clearspring Brown Rice Miso available in our shops and online veg box shop. Its perfect for this recipe.
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Preparation: (About 20 minutes)
Preheat the grill to medium heat
Cut the aubergine into rounds about 2cm thick. Place them onto a baking tray and brush liberally with oil
Grill for 5-7 minutes then flip them over brush with more oil and grill again for another 5-7 minutes until they’re soft when you push the side.
Meanwhile to make the miso sauce put the miso, sugar and mirin into a small saucepan and heat until all the ingredients melt together (or buzz them in a microwave for a minute). There’s no need to cook them you just want the sugar to dissolve
Once the aubergine pieces are soft spread a little of the miso sauce onto each one. The thickness of the sauce is important, its pretty powerful so not too much. Should be about half a teaspoon for each piece. Make sure it covers all the aubergine
Put them back under the grill for 2 minutes until the miso just starts to bubble.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve straight away.
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