Eggplants have just come back into season in France, signaling a long summer season of roasting, grilling, simmering and steaming these burnished purple beauties. They are endlessly versatile and their creamy, smoky flesh make them an excellent stand-in for meat, especially when caramelized under intense heat. If you’re looking to cut down your meat consumption and want to replace it with something hearty and satisfying, then you can’t do much better than this eggplant roasted to silken perfection and glazed with a punchy, umami-rich ginger and miso dressing. Make a double batch of the dressing and keep it in your fridge for a quick ready-made sauce to toss over steamed green beans – or any vegetable really!

Miso is a great staple ingredient to have in your refrigerator – it lasts up to a year, adds depth of flavor to sauces, dressings, marinades and soups, is rich in protein, promotes healthy digestion and circulation and, because it is a fermented food, is great for your gut health.

Traditionally miso is made from crushed boiled soybeans that are mixed with either wheat, barley or rice, and salt and fermented with a yeast-like mold or starter called koji for several months and sometimes up to 3 years. There are numerous types of miso, however the general rule is the darker the miso, the stronger the flavor. Light or white miso is made with rice koji and fermented for a shorter period making it sweeter and good for making dressings. Darker miso is often made with barley or bean koji and has a more intense flavor, making a good base for winter soups. Here we have used a darker miso whose strong flavor is a good match for eggplant’s tender creamy flesh.

Miso and Ginger Glazed Eggplant
(Dengaku Eggplant)

4 servings   |   Equipment: A baking sheet.

Ingredients

4 small, firm, fresh eggplants (each about 8 ounces; 250 g), washed but not peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sake or mirin
2 tablespoons dark miso (such as barley or brown rice)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar, preferably organic
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh chives

Method

1. Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. Trim and discard the stem end of the eggplants. Halve them lengthwise. Lightly score the flesh in a crisscross pattern. Brush the flesh and skin lightly with the oil. Place the eggplant halves, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until completely soft and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

3. While the eggplant is roasting, combine the sake, miso, grated ginger and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

4. When the eggplant is cooked through, remove from the oven and brush the cut surface with the miso glaze. Return to the oven for just 2-3 minutes until the glaze begins to bubble and caramelize.

5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives. Serve warm.

Note: As high heat destroys the beneficial bacteria in miso, make sure to buy unpasteurized miso. For this recipe, if you want to retain the natural probiotics in the miso, simply glaze the eggplant and don’t return it to the oven.  

This is a Nourish the Planet recipe, a collaborative series by Patricia Wells and Emily Buchanan.
© 2020 – All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce without permission.

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