Miso and Sesame Eggplants

These eggplants are packed full of umami with a hint of sweetness and a kick of spice! These eggplants are inspirited by Japanese miso glazed eggplants or nasu dengaku. These are so good and satisfying served over a bowl of steamed rice but also delicious as is or with some salad.

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g American eggplant (, 2 pieces)
• 3 tbsp miso paste (, I used white miso paste)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (see notes)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce, adjust according to desired spice (optional))
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 to 2 tsp soy sauce (adjust according to desired taste)
• Roasted sesame seeds
• Chopped scallions
• Togarashi (Japanese 7-spice blend)
• Steamed short grain rice

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Halve the eggplants then carefully score the flesh diagonally until you achieve a criss-cross pattern. Make sure not to cut too deep as you might cut through the skin. You can check out my video below to see how I slice them!
2. 2Heat a non-stick pan or skillet over medium high heat. Place the eggplants skin first and leave to cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the skin is brown. Flip the eggplants over and then leave to cook as well until the flesh has turned into a nice toasted brown colour. Flip it back, skin side again, and then lower the heat to medium. Cover the pan and then leave the eggplant to cook in its steam for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. 3While the eggplant is cooking, mix all the paste ingredients together in a small bowl. Feel free to adjust the measurements depending on your design taste.
4. 4Preheat your oven or oven toaster to 425 F/220 C.
5. 5Transfer the half-cooked eggplants on a lined baking tray. Add in the sesame miso sesame on the eggplants. I like to do so by just spreading it with a spoon.
6. 6Bake the eggplants for around 20 minutes and the eggplant is tender enough to your liking! I like my eggplants really silky in terms of texture.It'd be best to keep an eye out on your eggplants in case your oven heats up too quickly and can cause the eggplants to easily burn when they bake. The sauce contains sugar so this can easily cause it to burn. If this is the case, you can lower the heat of your oven to 180C/350F or place the eggplants farther away from the heat source.The sauce can bubble while baking and the sauce will seep through the cuts.
7. 7Top your eggplants with sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and togarashi, if desired. Enjoy with some rice or as is!