Baked Eggplant with Miso Sauce

Eggplant is always on my family’s menu. Every time when we dine out in the Japanese restaurant nearby, we won’t miss their delicious baked miso eggplant. My daughter urged me to try to make her one at home the other day. After experimenting a few times at home, this is the sauce that I’m really satisfied. I didn’t wait to ask how she liked it once I put this baked eggplant in front of her. She seemed to be too busy with the taste testing, one bite after a big one, then quickly finished one third of the dish. Needless to repeat my question, I felt she clearly stated her answer already.

Baked Eggplant with Miso Sauce (Printable recipe)
By Christine's Recipes
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Yield: 2 to 3 serves

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant (aubergine), about 375 gm
• oil, to taste
• sea salt, to taste
• sesame seeds, roasted for garnish
• chopped spring onion, for garnish

Sauce:

• 100 ml mirin
• 1½ Tbsp white miso paste
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tsp Japanese cooking wine

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 356F.
2. Rinse the eggplant. Cut it in half lengthwise. Score the flesh deeply, yet not cut through to the skin, with the tip of a sharp knife in a cross-hatch pattern (as shown in picture above). Spray the cut side or brush with oil and season with salt.
3. Transfer the eggplant to a lined baking tray. Cover with a foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until the eggplant is softened.
4. In the meantime, combine all the ingredients of sauce in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat and stir occasionally. When it starts to boil and the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.
5. Remove the eggplant from the oven. Discard the excess water. Drizzle the sauce over the top. Sprinkle sesame seeds and spring onion for garnish. Serve immediately.

Notes：

• Eggplant can soak up a lot of oil. If using oil spray, you can control the amount of fat used without making the dish too heavy.
• Mirin is an essential condiment used in Japanese cuisine, available at Asian grocers.
  When preparing the sauce, you can use a large spoon to press the miso paste and help it dissolve thoroughly.
• It’s better not to over cook the miso paste, or else you’ll lose much of its nutrition.
• When the sauce starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat as quickly as possible.
• The eggplant I used was quite large and thick. This recipe also works for small narrow ones. The baking time needs to be shortened accordingly.