GLUTEN-FREE MISO-GLAZED EGGPLANT
There’s a casual little Japanese eatery not far from us that we used to drop into quite often, where we’d invariably order, along with other favourites, the Nasu Dengaku, miso-glazed eggplant.
This is a Japanese classic, a very common dish in Japan. Fortunately for me, the version our local makes is Gluten-free Miso-glazed Eggplant, which is really delicious – so delicious I decided I had to try to replicate it at home.
Given the range of different kinds of miso available, many containing gluten, the first job is finding the right miso paste. Always check the label, but in my experience white miso, or shiro miso, made with fermented soy-beans and rice, is most likely to be gluten-free.
The rest is easy. Prepare the glaze. Roast the eggplant. Grill to finish. The miso-glaze adds a luscious sweet and salty overlay to the tender eggplant, which I think, works a treat.
I hope you like it too.
Jan
GLUTEN-FREE MISO-GLAZED EGGPLANT
Serves 8 with other dishes
4 medium eggplants, halved lengthways, stem retained
130 ml rice bran oil or peanut oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
White Miso Glaze (see below)
Heat oven to 180°C. Line a large oven tray with baking paper.
With a sharp knife, score the flesh of each side of eggplant into a diamond pattern, making sure to leave the skin intact.
Drizzle eggplant with oil so it falls down through the cuts and coats the flesh.
Place the eggplant on the oven tray, skin-side up, and roast for 10-15 minutes.
Turn the eggplant skin-side down and continue roasting for around 30 minutes, until the flesh is moist and tender.
Heat grill to 200°C.
Brush eggplant with miso glaze and grill, not too close to the heat, for 10 - 15 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Brush again with glaze and grill for another few minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
Scatter with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
White Miso Glaze
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons raw sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
80 gm gluten-free white miso paste
Pinch of sea salt
Combine sake, mirin, sugar, sesame oil and ginger in a small pot and simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Continue cooking gently until the mixture is reduced by one third.
Add miso paste and cook for a few minutes more, stirring until mixture is smooth and thick. Add salt to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside.