Dengaku is a traditional Japanese dish with grilled ingredients, such as tofu, Konjaku or some vegetables, brushed with sweet miso glaze. Among different Dengaku variations, Nasu-Miso-Dengaku (Eggplant Dengaku) would probably be the most popular. The silky and melt-in-your-mouse texture of the grilled/pan-fried eggplant and the sweet and savoury rich miso glaze complement each other to be a perfectly satisfying dish! The good news is, such a delicious and satisfying dish happens to be vegetarian, as a lot of traditional Japanese dishes are.
-INGREDIENTS- (serves 2 to 4)
2 large Eggplants
1/2 Spring onion, finely chopped
4 pinches Roasted sesame seeds
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
<Glaze>
4 tbsp Miso (Your favourite type of Japanese Miso or combination of different types)
4 tbsp Sugar
4 tbsp Mirin
4 tbep Sake
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 Kombu dashi powder (optional)
-METHOD-
1. Put all the ingredients to a sauce pan and bring to a boil on a high heat, then turn down the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens. Leave it to cool down.
2. Rinse the eggplants and remove the leafy part of the stems, then cut them in halves. Score the cut surfaces carefully without cutting the skin part.
3. Heat some oil in a pan. You don’t need a ton of oil but just enough to cover the surface of the pan. Start shallow-frying the eggplants on the cut surface first on medium low heat. until golden brown. Turn them over and cover with a lid. cook until the eggplants are soft, which could take up to 15 mins.
4. Take them out of the pan and wipe off excess oil with a paper towel. Place them on a plate and spread the glaze on. Sprinkle with the chopped green onion and roasted sesame seeds.
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