Nasu Dengaku (Miso-Glazed Eggplant)

Method

1. Make the miso glaze: put the miso, mirin, sugar and sake in a 14 cm saucepan, stir until smooth, then cook on low heat for 2 min, stirring constantly with a spatula. When it is glossy and about as thick as ketchup, turn off the heat. It catches easily, so stay with it.

   Add in this stepMiso (red or mixed) 2 tbspMirin 2 tbspSugar 1 tbspCooking sake 1 tbsp

   low heat

2. Trim the very end of the stem and halve each eggplant lengthwise. Score the cut side in a 1 cm crisscross, about halfway deep; take care not to cut through the skin. The cuts help it cook through quickly and soak up the glaze.

   Add in this stepJapanese eggplants (slim and long, about 150 g each) 2

3. Heat the oil in a 26 cm frying pan on medium heat and lay the eggplant in cut side down. Working in 1 batch, cook for 4 min until the cut side is golden, then turn, cover with a lid and cook for 4 min more. It is done when a chopstick slides easily right through to the skin. Eggplant soaks up oil, so add a little more if the pan runs dry.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil 2½ tbsp

   medium heat

4. Place the eggplant cut side up on a foil-lined tray and spread the miso glaze evenly over it. Cook in a oven preheated to 250 °C (or a toaster oven or under the grill) for 2 min, until the glaze bubbles and catches in a few spots. The sugar burns in seconds, so keep watching.

   oven

5. Scatter with sesame seeds and spring onion and serve warm. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon, or cut along the scoring and eat it with rice.

   Add in this stepToasted sesame seeds 1 tspSpring onions, thinly sliced (stalks) 1