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Miso Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku)
This quick and easy Miso Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) recipe creates sweet, salty, tender, and crispy eggplant all in one! The best part is that the whole dish can be made in less than 25 minutes! This dish will become your new favorite vegetable side!
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice the eggplant lengthwise and then create a cross-hatch pattern in the flesh, taking care not to cut through the eggplant.
- Sprinkle the eggplant flesh with salt (this will remove excess moisture and make the eggplant less astringent).
- Whisk together the miso, sake, mirin, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels. Heat a large sauté pan over moderate heat and coat with neutral oil.
- Make sure the oil is smoking hot (this will season the pan and prevent the eggplant from sticking to the bottom of the pan). You can determine this by adding a few drops of water to the pan; the water should dance on the surface and dissipate after a few seconds.
- Allow the oil to glisten, and place the eggplant in the pan, flesh side down. Sear the eggplant (you might need to do this in two batches if they all do not fit in the pan) for 2-3 minutes until a beautiful golden brown. If you have a weight, place this on top of the eggplant to create a beautiful sear.
- Remove the eggplant pieces from the pan and place them on an aluminum-lined or parchment-lined sheet tray flesh side up.
- Liberally glaze the miso sauce over the flesh of the eggplant and place it in the oven.
- Cook until the eggplant is tender, about 12 minutes. During this time, you can baste the eggplant again and rotate your pan in the oven.
- Take the cooked eggplant out of the oven and turn your oven to a high broil.
- Liberally baste your eggplant again, place the tray on the top portion of your oven, and cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce bubbles and all of your eggplant becomes golden brown (you might need to rotate your pan in the oven for this step). If you have extra sauce, it’s perfect to save to glaze fish or chicken in your fridge.
- Garnish the cooked eggplant with the green onions.
Notes
Expert Tips for the Best Miso Eggplant
Follow these pro tips to perfect your Miso Eggplant every time:
Use Japanese Eggplant: It’s sweeter & less bitter than regular eggplant.
Salt the Eggplant First: Salt your eggplant before cooking to remove excess moisture. Eggplant is a naturally astringent vegetable. Salt helps extract excess water and opens the vegetable's pores, making it sweeter and more adaptable to flavor. The excess moisture develops on the outside of the eggplant, and then it needs to be patted dry before searing.
Score the eggplant: This also helps draw out moisture, makes the sauce more permeable into the flesh, and helps the eggplant cook evenly.
Sear Before Roasting: Creates a golden crust & enhances flavor.
Whisk the Miso Glaze Until Smooth: No lumps for even coating.
Line Your Baking Sheet: Prevents mess from the caramelized miso glaze.
Nutrition
Calories: 278kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 973mgPotassium: 585mgFiber: 8gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 132IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg