Grilled Eggplants with Miso “Barbecue” Sauce

Grilled eggplant might seem like an odd bar snack to Westerners, but it’s a best seller in the teriyaki bars near the train stations in Tokyo. I like to think of it as a vegetarian hot dog. The “barbecue sauce” used to glaze the eggplants is a sweet-salty mix made from miso (cultured soy bean paste). White miso, the most common variety, can be found in the refrigerator case of natural foods stores and in many large supermarkets. For this recipe, the eggplant of choice would be a slim Asian