By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- 5(1,601)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Miso-glazed eggplant (Nasu dengaku) is on many Japanese menus, and it’s a dish I always order. It’s incredibly easy to make at home. I roast the eggplant first, then brush it with the glaze and run it under the broiler. The trick is getting the timing right so the glaze caramelizes but doesn’t burn. That’s a guessing game in my old Wedgewood oven, because the broiler door has no window.
Featured in: Miso, for So Much More Than Just Soup
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:Serves 4 as an appetizer or side dish
- 2long Japanese eggplants or 4 small Italian eggplants (about ¾ pound)
- Salt to taste
- 1teaspoon sesame oil, plus additional for the baking sheet
- 1tablespoon mirin
- 1tablespoon sake
- 2tablespoons white or yellow miso
- 1tablespoon sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
66 calories; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 318 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and cut off the stem and calyx. Using the tip of a paring knife, cut an incision down the middle of each half, making sure not to cut through the skin, but cutting down to it. Salt the eggplant lightly and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and brush with sesame oil.
Step
2
Blot the eggplants with paper towels and place, cut side down, on the baking sheets. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skin is beginning to shrivel and the flesh is soft. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the eggplants over, and preheat the broiler.
Step
3
To make the glaze, combine the mirin and sake in the smallest saucepan you have and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 20 seconds, taking care not to boil off much of the liquid, then turn the heat to low and stir in the miso and the sugar. Whisk over medium-low heat without letting the mixture boil, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sesame oil.
Step
4
Brush the eggplants with the miso glaze, using up all of the glaze. Place under the broiler, about 2 inches from the heat, and broil for about 1 minute, until the glaze begins to bubble and looks shiny. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool if desired or serve hot. To serve, cut the eggplant halves on the diagonal into 1- to 1-½-inch slices.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can prepare this through Step 3 several hours before you do the final glazing in Step 4.
Ratings
5
out of 5
1,601
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Cindy
Love this recipe and appreciate to tip to slice down the middle of the eggplant for quicker roasting. Did not have any mirin or sake at home, so I substituted rice wine vinegar & a teaspoon of honey for the Mirin and white wine for the sake. Was just delish.
ET
A nice easy side dish. I reduced the sugar based on other comments. I made this in the late afternoon to serve at room temp at dinner, but I sampled a few hot slices right out of the oven. I liked it better hot!
A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds would be a good addition.
Food Baby
Nice glaze but too sweet for my liking. Will try again sometime will much less sugar.
M
Love love LOVE this quick miso glaze. I've used it on eggplant, tofu, squash, etc. Super speedy and simple to put together.
Asquared
Omitted the sugar and added a little bit of tamari, roughly doubling the mirin, sake, and white miso because I had a big eggplant
Used the oil mixture (though didn't use all the oil) and the grilling instructions from the Mark Bittman Miso-Glazed Eggplant Slices recipe
Brigid Bostow
substitute rice vinegar for mirin and sub white wine for saki
Ellen L
Delicious! I agree with other reviewers that it was a little sweet. I'll cut back on the sugar next time.
Penni Gladstone
Used the 2 large globe eggplants cuz I couldn't get the Japanese eggplants. They needed more time to bake. No big deal. Added sesame seeds, and half the sugar as suggested.
Anne S.
I find Shaoxing wine to be a good substitute for sake (if you happen to have that in your pantry!)
Pizza Quixote
Boiling two tablespoons of liquid seemed arduous (I don't have a Lilliputian saucepan) so I simply microwaved it in a glass measuring cup for about 15 seconds. Added the miso and sugar, microwaved another 8 seconds. Works, and easy.
Catherine DiNardo
Very nice recipe! I had to roast the eggplant a bit longer than 20 minutes -- more like 30 -- to make sure the flesh was soft.
Sue
Love this recipe and appreciate to tip to slice down the middle of the eggplant for quicker roasting. Did not have any mirin or sake at home, so I substituted rice wine vinegar & a teaspoon of honey for the Mirin and white wine for the sake. Was just delish.This sounds like a good idea! I made the recipe as written, and it was a little too sweet for me. I will substitute the rice wine for the mirin next time.
Avital
used Mirin and rice vinegar instead of the wine. Did not add any sugar. Would definitely make again.
Peter
2/3 of the stated amount of sugar worked well.
Valorie
Why it may taste too sweet: don't use cane sugar, try substituting caster sugar or another more refined sugar. Your grocery store may not carry caster sugar but it is available online, worth the extra step for not only Japanese dishes but desserts as well.
MC
Cooking time at this great is too long for delicate Japanese eggplants, more suited to thicker Italian eggplants. The sauce really needs a little heat too. Coat don’t smother to get the canalization under the broiler.
note
Reduce misoCut italian eggplant into smaller pieces and increase cooking timeAdd black sesame
SageWolfe
I reduced the sugar and used cheap cooking marsala for the sake. It was so yummy! I would roast the eggplant in chunks next time.
Joyce
I followed the recipe to the letter with just one exception—I did not use any sugar. The results were utterly delicious.
Kelsey
I sliced Italian eggplant 1 inch thick, because it was what we had. Roasted until happily browned. Otherwise, same ingredients. Delicious. It doesn’t take long under the broiler, so keep an eye on it.
Kelsey
Sugar is essential.
Ben H.
Combined sugar and miso while I prepped the eggplant and the rest of the glaze: sugar dissolved into the miso paste. When I combined the sugary paste to the boiled liquid, it all combined smoothly.Used seasoned rice wine vinegar instead of sake.Baked for 20min then broiled for 2 minutes, rotating the rack at the 1min mark.Topped with scallions (green ends), cilantro, sesame seeds and red pepper flake. It’s a hit!
CBE
Parchment will burn under the broiler
Todd
In Japan, people often cut fairly deep cross-hatches into the cut side of the eggplant before roasting it, rather than making a single incision down the middle. This makes it cook a little faster, allows the glaze to penetrate deeper, and makes the final product much easier to break apart and eat with chopsticks. Also, if you can't find Japanese or Italian eggplant, Chinese eggplant will do, though as it's rather long you'll need to cut it into halves or thirds before splitting it lengthwise.
kchatfield
Loved it. Had Chinese cooking wine and used this instead- it was great
JLa
I used date syrup in lieu of sugar - 1 tsp (versus the original Tbls called for) and found this plenty sweet. It was loved by guests who requested the recipe.
Jean Yates
I spend months ever year growing Japanese eggplants from seed so I can make this recipe at its finest. Store bought eggplant just don't taste as rich and complex as straight from the garden. This recipe tastes great, but my favorite glaze is a really good balsamic vinegar - not the cheap stuff loaded with sugar but the real deal.
AND in CDMX
Following the recipe, the eggplant was undercooked. I took the warning about not burning the glaze to heed, but thus I didn't feel like the glaze really "glazed." The glaze is tasty, though.Adjustments: -bake eggplant longer-use more miso-apply glaze to skin side as well
Pizza Quixote
Boiling two tablespoons of liquid seemed arduous (I don't have a Lilliputian saucepan) so I simply microwaved it in a glass measuring cup for about 15 seconds. Added the miso and sugar, microwaved another 8 seconds. Works, and easy.
Private notes are only visible to you.
