Japanese aubergine misoyaki
A lovely, rich preparation of Japanese aubergine with an intense umami flavour. Nasu aubergines are perfect for this preparation! Makes 8.
🍽️ Makes 8
Ingredients
| 500 g | miso |
| 500 g | sugar |
| 250 g | mirin |
| 250 ml | sake |
| 8 | Japanese aubergines |
| — | sunflower oil, as needed |
| — | salt, as needed |
Instructions
- Reduce the miso, sugar, mirin, and sake until a thick caramel is formed, making sure that it doesn't burn.
- Leave the misoyaki caramel to cool down.
- Peel the aubergines and chop into pieces approximately 2cm in size.
- Brush the aubergines with the caramel.
- Place a piece of round baking paper at the bottom of a shallow but wide pan. Ensure that the baking paper reaches about 4cm up the sides of the pan.
- Pour a few drops of oil underneath the baking paper, so that the heat is properly dispersed and then generously cover the top of the baking paper with oil. Add enough oil to cover the aubergines halfway.
- Heat the oil, so that it is already sizzling when you put the aubergines in the pan. Test the heat of the oil by placing a small piece of aubergine in the oil.
- Add all the aubergines and cook while turning the aubergines continuously until an even shade of caramel.
- Take the aubergines out of the pan with a skimmer and leave to drain on thick kitchen towel. Ensure that you keep moving the aubergines as they drain, so that they don't stick to the kitchen towel. Also make sure that the aubergines don't touch one another.
- Season to taste with salt if you like but note that the aubergines are already generously seasoned with the miso from the misoyaki caramel.
Serving suggestions:
- Use in a dish with components of salmon, green apple, and crème fraîche.
- Use in a dish with components of cod, aubergine, and dashi.
- Use in a dish with components of pork, tomato, and almonds.