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Eggplant w/Miso Paste (or Two-Tone Eggplant) (P, TNT)
Source: "The Essentials of Japanese Cooking," Tokiko Suzuki/Shufunotomo Co., Ltd.
Serves: 2-4

2 large eggplants
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

White Miso Spread:
1/2 cup white miso
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup mirin

Red Miso Spread:
1/2 cup red miso
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine)

Garnish:
White poppy seeds

Mix the white miso and sugar in a pan. Add the mirin a little at a time. Stir over low heat for about 20 minutes to thicken the mixture, taking care not to burn it. Once the mixture has thickened, remove from heat. Make the red miso spread in the same way.

Trim the stem of the eggplants, leaving a little for decorative effect. Cut the eggplants lengthwise in half and score the flesh diagonally in a crisscross fashion to make it easy to eat with chopsticks. Slice off a small piece of skin from the underside of each half to create a stable base.

Heat the oil to about 340°F/170°C. Lower the eggplants into the oil, skin side down. After 2-3 minutes, reduce the heat slightly and turn over. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Drain well and spread with the miso pastes. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and serve.

Poster's Notes: If you can't find two kinds of miso, it's ok to use only one of them. The Japanese name of this dish is "nasu no dengaku." We call a dish spread with miso paste as a "dengaku."

This is a traditional Japanese dish and also a favorite recipe of one of my vegetarian friends who is Canadian.

Posted by Asako

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A