Japanese aubergine with mirin and sesame

Nasu dengaku

By: Claire Thomson
From: The Art Of The Larder
Photographer: Mike Lusmore

Try to get hold of pale thin-skinned purple aubergines from an Asian supermarket if you can, though the regular black-skinned variety will work well. The aubergine is glazed and cooked with a strong, salty mix of miso and mirin, flattering the fleshy aubergine like nothing else on earth. I’ve eaten this dish more than a few times in a well-known Japanese restaurant in London and I think this interpretation of a restaurant classic is spot on.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
2	aubergines
	neutral oil, to brush the aubergines
3 level tablespoons	miso paste, light or dark
4 tablespoons	mirin, (use sherry with a teaspoon of brown sugar if you don’t have mirin)
3 tablespoons	sake, (or same quantity of sherry preparation)
1 1/2-2 teaspoons	brown sugar
1-2.5cm	fresh ginger, finely grated
2 teaspoons	sesame seeds, toasted, or use poppy seeds
4-6	spring onions, very finely sliced on an angle
1/2-1 teaspoon	chilli flakes, (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel strips of skin off the aubergines, leaving wide stripes. Cut the aubergines in half or into thick 2cm rounds. Score criss-cross marks on the flesh of the aubergine and place them flat in a baking tray. Brush with oil and place them in the hot oven to bake until soft, cooked and golden underneath. In slices this should take about 15 minutes; halves will take a little longer, 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set to one side.
Meanwhile, put the miso, mirin, sake and sugar into a small pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for about 3 minutes until the miso has melted and begun to thicken. Add the grated ginger and stir well, then remove from the heat.
Brush the miso glaze over the cooked aubergine halves or rounds and put the tray back into the oven for 3–5 minutes, until the glaze begins to bubble and caramelize on the aubergines.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, spring onions and chilli flakes, if using. Serve immediately or eat just warm.

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Japanese aubergine with mirin and sesame

Nasu dengaku

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