Nasu Dengaku - Miso Glazed Eggplant
This is one versatile little dish! Classically Japanese, you’ve probably eaten nasu dengaku at a restaurant or in Japan before. Now cook it easily at home - it’s naturally vegan, cooked in 10 minutes and perfect served as an entree, a side or as the main star.
Servings 4 Side Serves
Calories 95kcal
Cost $6
Ingredients
- 300 g eggplant 10.58 oz, Japanese or Lebanese
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp water
For the dengaku - miso glaze sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp white miso paste sub red
Garnish ideas
- spring onion / green onion
- white sesame seeds
- shichimi togarashi
- rayu chilli oil
Instructions
For the eggplants
- Remove the green tips of the 300 g eggplant, then slice in half. Next, cut a cross hatch pattern into the flesh, being careful not to cut through the skin.
- Heat the 1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add eggplants sliced side down.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes to brown. Pour in 2 tbsp water, and cook for another 3-5 minutes (optional: add lid for extra steaming) to soften.
- Flip eggplant onto skin side down and brown for 2 more minutes, then remove from the pan and onto a serving platter.
For the sauce
- In the same pan add the 2 tbsp mirin, 1 ½ tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 ½ tbsp white miso paste over low-medium heat. Mix around until it bubbles and thickens (around 30 seconds - 1 minute), then remove from the heat and drizzle over the eggplant slices.
- Optional: Garnish with things such as spring onion / green onion, white sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi and rayu chilli oil.
Notes
- Cooking Time - Our recipe is tailored to slender eggplants like Japanese, Lebanese and Italian varieties. If you’re using thicker eggplants, note that they will take longer to fully cook and soften, so adjust the cooking time where necessary.
- Texture - Cook the eggplants just long enough to soften and brown the flesh without turning them into mush.
- Miso Flavour - White miso is milder and sweeter, while red miso is more intense in flavour. Choose whichever will suit you best (or use half / half if you prefer!). You can also balance out the flavour by adding a little more sugar or mirin if your miso glaze is too intense.
- Serving Ideas - Nasu dengaku works great as a side dish alongside a serve of cooked white rice / sushi rice (or on top of a rice bowl), alongside miso soup or kenchinjiru (Japanese vegetable soup).
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- Alt Presentation - Slice into thick rounds instead of in half lengthways or cut them into small chunks and place on skewers for a bite sized version.
Nutrition
Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.4mg