Nasu Dengaku (Eggplant with Sweet Miso)

Name: Nasu Dengaku (Eggplant with Sweet Miso)
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: Eggplant 2 stalks; Toasted white sesame seeds 1 tsp; Miso 2 tbsp; Sugar 1 1/2 tbsp; Mirin (sweet rice seasoning) 1 tbsp; Sake (Japanese rice wine) 1 tbsp; Vegetable oil 3 tbsp

🌱 VeganNo meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey or bonito dashi

Serves 2 · About 25 min
A Japanese side dish of eggplant halved lengthwise, cooked, and spread with sweet miso (dengaku miso).

① Cut the eggplant→② Make the dengaku miso→③ Fry the eggplant→④ Spread on the miso

What to buy

Vegetables

Eggplant2 stalks

Seasonings & dry goods

Toasted white sesame seeds1 tsp

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How to make it

Cut the eggplant

About 5 min

Wash the eggplants and cut off the stems (green part) on the cutting board
Cut in half lengthwise
Put them cut side up and make slanted cuts 1 cm apart, then turn and cut again the other way (a diagonal grid). Cut down to about half the thickness of the eggplant. Do not cut through the skin

How to tell it's doneAll 4 pieces have grid cuts on the cut side.

Make the dengaku miso

Low heat1–2 min

In a small pot, put 2 tbsp miso, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tbsp sake, and mix well with a spatula before turning on the heat
Set over low heat and keep stirring, running the spatula along the bottom of the pot
Turn off the heat and leave it as is

How to tell it's doneIt is shiny, and thick enough that it drops off the spatula slowly in a blob.

Be carefulMiso and sugar burn easily. Do not use high heat. If it starts popping at the bottom of the pot, keep your face away.

Fry the eggplant

Medium → Medium-low heat, lid onAbout 7 min

Pat the cut sides of the eggplant dry with paper towels
Put 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan, heat over medium heat, lay the eggplant in cut side down and cook about 3 min
Turn them skin side down, put the lid on and cook over medium-low heat for 3–4 min

How to tell it's doneThe cut side is golden brown, and the flesh presses in softly with chopsticks.

Be carefulOil splatters easily. Gently lay the eggplant in from the near side of the pan away from you, and do not leave the stove while it cooks.

Spread on the miso

About 2 min

Put the eggplant on a plate cut side up
Divide the dengaku miso from step 2 into 4 equal parts with a spoon and spread over the whole cut side
Sprinkle on 1 tsp white toasted sesame seeds

ReadyThe brown miso covers the whole cut side.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Mirin Miso

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)

If it didn't work out

The miso is bitter or blackThe heat was too high in step 2, or it stayed on the heat too long. Next time, use low heat and turn it off as soon as it turns shiny.

The eggplant is hardIt did not cook long enough with the lid on in step 3. Keep going 1 min at a time until the flesh presses in softly.

The miso is too stiff to spreadIt cooled and got stiff. Add 1 tsp mirin and mix.

OilyToo much oil. Next time, measure 3 tbsp.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me