Miso glazed eggplant (nasu dengaku)

Miso glazed eggplant, nasu dengaku, combined tender eggplant with a flavorful sweet and savory miso glaze. This traditional Japanese side dish is easy to prepare and perfect to pair with various meals.

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I know some may not agree, but eggplant (aubergine) is up there as one of my favorite vegetables. However it can be a little tricky to cook at times - if you don't quite get it right, it can be bitter or drenched in oil. 

This classic Japanese way of preparing it is a great option, whatever your past experience is with cooking and eating eggplant, as it's easy to make and has fantastic flavors. And best of all, you get a wonderful mix of soft, almost creamy eggplant under that wonderful slightly sticky caramelized glaze on top. 

Origins of nasu dengaku

This traditional eggplant dish is from Japan and has been around for hundreds of years, although the exact origins are unclear. It is a type of miso dengaku, where a miso-based glaze is added to tofu, vegetables and other simple bases before grillling on an open fire. "Nasu" is Japanese for eggplant.

The name "dengaku" comes from the rice planting celebration in early summer which has been around since the Heian period (794–1185). The planting celebration includes music and dances. Since dengaku dishes are typically on skewers, the name is since they are said to resemble the dancers on stilts. 

Miso has long been used as a way of adding flavor to foods in Japan, and while some dishes are associated with festivities in some way, they may also be enjoyed year round, as this one is. You'll find this enjoyed in izakayas (bars/pubs), at home and many other places.

Ingredients for miso glazed eggplant

This dish has just a short list of ingredients, but it's worth noting a little about each:

• Eggplant (aubergine) - you can use most types of eggplant for this, but I think smaller yet still "meaty" varieties are best. You want them thick enough and juicy enoguh that they'll give that melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, but not so thick they don't cook through. Japanese, Chinese and Italian eggplants will all work well. 
• Miso paste - the style of miso used can vary from region to region, as well as different tastes. Some use red miso, especially hatcho miso, which is more aged, stronger and saltier. Others use a milder white miso, shiromiso. Here I have used white miso both as it is more mellow and what many people might already have since it's what you typically use for miso soup, too. If you use red miso or a blend of both, you may need a little more sugar to balance the saltiness.
• Mirin - mirin is a sweetened rice wine based seasoning used in many Japanese dishes. It's great for adding depth of flavor, with both a bit of punch as well as sweetness. You get a range of different kinds and unfortunately many you get outside Japan (at least in the US) use high fructose corn syrup and have less flavor to them. I'd suggest looking for one without corn syrup. 
• Sake - this adds a similar depth as mirin, just without the sweetness. You can use all one or the other rather than both, if you don't have one of them. Just if you use just sake, you may need more sugar, and if all mirin, less sugar. 
• Sugar - this helps balance the other flavors to give a nice umami-like flavor that's not too salty. But also don't add too much as you don't want it overly sweet either. 
• Oil - while not pictured, you also add use a little oil to help the eggplant cook evenly during the inital cooking. 
• Sesame seeds - while not essential, a few toasted sesame seeds make a great garnish.

Cooking steps

You cook this dish in two stages - first, you pre-cook the eggplant, then you add the glaze and caramelize the top. You have a couple of choices in how you do the initial stage.

Here, I have gone with what I find easier which is roasting in the oven. But you can also cook them on the stovetop in a little oil (arguably more similar to the traditonal open flame cooking). Either way, you are looking to achieve tender, soft flesh that's neither oily nor dry. 

To help the eggplant cook more evenly, but still keep their shape, you halve them lengthwise then score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. If you can't get the smaller eggplants suggested, and can only get large American eggplants, you will probably want to cut them into slices instead, as otherwise they likely won't cook through properly.

As the eggplants cook, mix up the glaze. Place the eggplant pieces on a lined baking sheet before adding the glaze on top to catch any drips. Use a brush to add more evenly. Then place under the broiler/grill, to get that lovely caramelized top. 

Tips for making this dish

Generally, this is easy to prepare, but a couple tips to help it come out well:

• Brush the oil onto the eggplant as it can act like a sponge if added any other way. If you add too much, then the end dish will taste oily, which you don't want. Or, you end up with spots with oil and some without. Brushing means you get a nice even, thin coating.
• If the glaze ingredients don't blend smoothly and still have lumps in them, warm them gently to help them blend more easily. Sometimes the miso may end up in lumps, but warming helps them soften.
• Watch the eggplant really closely after adding the glaze and broiling. They don't take long to caramelize, and it's a fine line between a nice even caramalization and bring burnt. So watch closely, turn as needed, or move some around (or remove ones cooking quicker) as needed. 

How to serve (and storing leftovers)

This is traditionally a side dish or sharable plate in an izakaya. Either way, you would typically serve it with rice, and maybe some miso soup as well. But you can also make it a side to mains, or make it the main itself. You could pair it with chicken, fish and other meats. Or serve it with maybe with a crunchy salad, or simple Japanese-style greens or sunomono (cucumber salad).

If you have leftover glaze, you can store it in the fridge for at least a week to use making this again, or to glaze other things like chicken, fish or tofu.

If you have leftover glazed eggplant, you can store it in the fridge in a sealed container and it will keep a couple days. While you can eat it at room temperature, I think it is best warm so would recommend warming it up in a low oven. 

Miso glazed eggplant, nasu dengaku, is a wonderfully easy dish to prepare with such fantastic sweet and savory flavors. The texture of the eggplant is meltingly tender, with the flavorful sticky glaze the delicious finishing touch. It's a side that can steal the show, so well worth enjoying any excuse.

Try these other eggplant dishes:

• Moroccan eggplant with chermoula (the eggplant takes on all the flavors of the bright herb-based sauce)
• Escalivada (a Catalan dish of tender grilled or roasted vegetables, including eggplant and peppers)
• Pasta alla Norma (a classic Sicilian pasta dish with an eggplant tomato sauce)
• Brinjal pickle (Indian eggplant relish/chutney)
• Plus get more side dishes and Japanese dishes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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