Nasu dengaku

Name: Nasu dengaku
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying; 2 tsp red miso paste (for a milder, sweeter version use shiro or white miso paste); 1–2 tsp mirin, light vinegar such as white wine or cider vinegar or lemon juice; 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil; toasted sesame seeds, to garnish; 1 medium aubergine; 1–2 tsp soft light brown sugar

Japanese miso grilled aubergine

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Solo

By Signe Johansen

Published 2018

About

The humble aubergine is a solo cook’s friend: I love how its texture transforms from spongy to meltingly tender when you apply heat. A dish I often turn to when I crave something vegetarian, nasu dengaku is also a fitting accompaniment to grilled fish, a crisp salad, sticky rice and some Japanese pickles.

Ingredients

1 medium aubergine
vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying
toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Asia
Japan
Main course
Vegan
Gluten-free

Method

Start by slicing the aubergine in half lengthways and carefully make shallow cuts in a criss-cross diamond pattern in the flesh of both halves. Brush the cut sides of the aubergine halves with a little oil.

Place a skillet or frying pan over a medium heat, add the aubergine halves cut-side down and cook for a few minutes until the cut sides start to brown, then turn them over and cook f