Miso-glazed Japanese eggplants are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious.How can you resist such beauties in the farmers market? I LOVE this delicious lavender color and these Japanese eggplants bake into such tender bites when glazed with a spicy miso dressing.
Their season is short here in Vermont, so I like to grab them when I can. Serve a platter of them with a bowl of extra sriracha to dip them in for extra hotness.
Their velvety, melt-in-your-mouth texture will make them your new comfort food. They take only seconds to prepare for baking. Just trim off the tops and bottoms, slice them in half and bake them cut side down on parchment.
After only a few minutes, they are soft and ready for glazing
Broil them for a few short minutes. Take them out when they are sizzling and bubbling. It’s hard to wait until they’re cool enough to eat!
Sprinkle with scallions and serve with extra sriracha for dipping.
Miso Glazed Japanese Eggplant
Yield 4-6 appetizer servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. Japanese eggplants (about 10-12)
- 2 teaspoons white miso
- 2 teaspoons warm water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon agave or maple syrup
- sliced scallions for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice off the tops and bottoms of the eggplants, Slice the eggplants lengthwise and then again in half crosswise and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the eggplants for 10 minutes.
Mix together the remaining ingredients with a fork or whisk until the glaze is smooth.
Remove the pan from the oven and turn each eggplant cut side facing up. Turn the oven to a low broil setting and set the oven rack to the lower third of the oven. Brush each eggplant generously with the glaze. Broil the eggplants for 3 minutes until the glaze is bubbling and slightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and let the eggplants cool. Serve garnished with chopped scallions.
Notes
If you don't have Japanese or the long slender Chinese eggplant to make this recipe with, you can use the more common globe eggplant. Just slice the eggplant crosswise into 1/4" thick slices and proceed with the recipe.
Cuisine Asian
Absolutely delicious. Use what I had on hand, brown rice miso, Frank’s hot sauce, brown sugar. Can’t wait to have it on salmon and chicken. Thanks for the recipe.