Miso Glazed Eggplant (Nasu no Dengaku)

I love eggplants, all types and any types, as long as it's cooked and seasoned well. Growing up I hated them, because my mom would just serve them boiled (sometimes with soy sauce, sometimes just plain). Ugh, mushy, cold, and tasteless. That's my memory of eggplants served in the Liao household. The only reason mom would attempt to eat them is because of the nutrition value. My mom, a health fanatic, liked to boil her food and keep them as bland as possible (The phrases "Too much sodium causes high blood pressure" and "Too much sugar causes diabetes" are forever engrained in my brain). Unfortunately, boiled bland eggplants just were not very appealing to me. Nevertheless, even if mom didn't cook eggplants to my liking, she definitely was spot on in terms of nutrition.   

Eggplants (also known as Aubergine in France) are full of antioxidants and dietary fiber. They promote healthy brain function, are full of vitamins B1, B3 and B6, and have been shown to lower cholesterol in animal studies. One cup of eggplant contains 8% daily value of fiber, and it is a low glycemic food. A few years ago I read a healthy eating book that encourages people to incorporate as much color as possible when choosing food items (natural color, of course). There's a saying that goes "you should eat the colors of the rainbow". Eggplant, with its deep purple color, definitely tops the list. Yup, mother knows best.

 

Somewhere in my adult life, my hatred of eggplant changed. I can't remember how or when, but I think it has to do with the spicy minced meat eggplant dish that they serve at Chinese restaurants  (deelish!). Nowadays, I probably cook eggplant once a week, and am always on the lookout for new eggplant recipes. This recipe by Ochikeron is definitely on my repertoire of eggplant faves!

 

Ingredients

 

Add 2 Tablespoons Miso, 2 Tablespoons, Mirin, 2 Tablespoon of Dashi Broth, and 1 tsp sugar into a saucepan.

Mix together and simmer on low heat until a thick, shiny paste forms (7-10 minutes). Please stir constantly or the sauce may burn! Remove the saucepan from the stove and set aside.

 



Slice the eggplant into 1" discs. Heat 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil (I use grapeseed) and place the eggplants on the pan, cover and cook on low heat for 7 minutes. Flip the eggplants over and cook until tender, about 3 more minutes.

Spread the miso paste on top of each eggplant disc.
Optional. You can drizzle a few dashes of sesame oil over the eggplants.

Garnish with sesame seeds/parley and serve!

 

 

Miso Glazed Eggplants
Ingredients:

• 2 Chinese eggplants
• 1-2 Tablespoons of cooking Oil (I use grapeseed)
• 2 Tablespoons of mirin
• 2 Tablespoons of miso
• 2 Tablespoons of Dashi Broth (1/8tsp dashi stock granules dissolved in 2T water)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• White sesame seeds: For garnish
• Few springs of parsley: for garnish
• Sesame Oil (optional)

1. Add 2 Tablespoons Miso, 2 Tablespoons, Mirin, 2 Tablespoon of Dashi Broth, and 1 tsp sugar into a saucepan and mix.
2. Simmer the sauce mixture on low heat until a thick, shiny paste forms (7-10 minutes) while stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from the stove and set aside
3. Slice the eggplant into 1" discs. Heat 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil and place the eggplants on the pan, cover and cook on low heat for 7 minutes. Flip the eggplants over and cook until tender, about 3 more minutes.
4. Spread the miso paste on top of each eggplant disc. Optional. Drizzle a few dashes of sesame oil over the eggplants.
5. Garnish with white sesame seeds and parsley. Enjoy!

Adapted from Ochikeron

Nutritional Fact
1 serving ~ 1 eggplant disc topped with 1 tsp miso paste

Calories: 24 | Total Fat: 0.9g | Sodium: 82mg | Carb: 3.5g | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugars: 1.5g | Protein: 0.6g