Miso-glazed Aubergine (Nasu Dengaku)

Nasu Dengaku is a Japanese side dish that combines one of our favourite vegetables with a sweet and deep-in-flavour miso sauce. This is one of our favourite ways to enjoy aubergines or eggplants. Our miso-glazed aubergine (eggplant) is healthy, umami-packed, easy to cook and absolutely delicious.

There are so many different things we love about this Japanese dish. It's umami-rich, deep-in-flavour, healthy, beautiful, and really easy to prepare. From start to finish, you'll need 40 minutes of your time to enjoy our delicious miso-glazed Aubergine.

Traditionally, eggplants are grilled over a fire to prepare this recipe. We oven-bake our aubergines as it's way easier. When baking your eggplants, they get a lovely texture similar to meat or tofu and the sauce will be caramelized on the top which makes the whole meal absolutely delicious.

This dish is the perfect way to fit another healthy and yummy recipe into your weekly meal plan, whether is for lunch or dinner.

Our Miso-glazed Aubergine is:

• Vegan
• Healthy
• Umami-packed
• Quick to prepare
• Easy to make
• Oven-baked

How to make Miso-glazed Aubergine or Eggplant

Ingredients

• Aubergines or Eggplants. The traditional recipe calls for Japanese eggplants but they are not always easy to find. Eggplants or aubergines tend to be bigger in Europe. Simply use any type of aubergine you can find in your local shop.
• Miso Paste. You can use any type of miso paste but white miso is the best choice when making glazes or marinades. We recommend using organic miso paste.
• Sesame Oil. One of the key ingredients to achieve that umami flavour we want for the glaze. Sesame oil helps the mixture get a perfect consistency delivering the perfect taste.
• Soy sauce. Soy sauce is one of the ingredients for our Miso glaze. It delivers saltiness and flavour.
• Rice vinegar or Mirin. It helps to temper the saltiness from the miso and soy sauce, adding a lovely flavour to the mixture.
• Maple Syrup. Adding some sweetener into the mixture is essential. You can use brown sugar or honey as well.
• Hot Water. To finish the mixture and combine all the ingredients perfectly, we add some hot water to it. All the ingredients used have deep and intense flavors. The water will help to tone it down just a little bit.
• Sesame seeds and green onions for garnish. Presentation is such an important element when it comes to Japanese dishes. Adding sesame seeds and green onions before serving, will give some colour contrast to your eggplants.

Miso-glazed Aubergine (Nasu Dengaku) Step by Step

1. Prepare the miso glaze. Combine miso paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup and hot water. Mix all the ingredients until they are well combined.
2. Cut the aubergines or eggplants. Cut the aubergines in halves lengthwise. Score the inside of the aubergine in squares making diagonal cuts. The cuts need to be deep but keeping the skin untouched.
3. Glaze the aubergines. Using a brush or a spoon, coat the top of the eggplant making sure you are using enough glaze. They need to be totally covered with the sauce.
4. Place some baking paper on a baking tray, lay the marinated aubergines (facing up) and bake for around 30-40 minutes.

How to serve Miso-glazed Aubergine or Nasu Dengaku

As a main dish. Our favourite way to serve miso-glazed aubergine is on slightly pan-fried rice cooked with onion, ginger and broccoli. As the aubergine already has an intense flavour, white rice is our favourite side to go with it.

Looking for some appetizers to serve with this meal? Check out our Vegan Gyozas.

Another great choice is to serve it with a light noodle salad on the side.

If you want to have Miso-glazed eggplant as a side dish, our favourite way to go is with a delicious homemade Katsu Curry or a hearty Vegan Ramen.

Other Miso Dengaku recipes

Once you learn how easy it is to prepare a delicious Miso glaze, you can use it to prepare different Miso Dengaku recipes such as tofu or even use it as a dressing for a delicious noodle salad. Check Just One Cook Book for more ideas of how to use your miso glaze.

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Miso-glazed Aubergine (Nasu Dengaku)

Umami packed, Miso-glazed Aubergine is a simple and delicious dish that the whole family will love.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Miso-glazed Aubergine, Miso-glazed Eggplant

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 246kcal

Ingredients

• 2 medium-large aubergines
• 2 tablespoon white miso
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoon hot water

Garnish

• 1 Spring onion finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 400ºF
• Using a medium-size mixing bowl add the miso paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and hot water. Mix all the ingredients until they are well combined.
• To prepare the aubergines, cut them in halves lengthwise. Score the inside of the aubergine in squares making diagonal cuts. The cuts need to be deep but keeping the skin untouched.
• Using a brush, marinate the aubergine with the miso glaze. Make sure enough sauce is used on each aubergine.
• Place some baking paper on a baking tray, lay the marinated aubergines (facing up) and bake for around 30-40 minutes.
• When the aubergines are cooked, take them out of the oven and drizzle some extra miso mixture on the top, add finely chopped onions and sprinkle some sesame seeds.

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1148mg | Potassium: 1143mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg

More Japanese-inspired Recipes:

• Vegan Soba Noodle Salad
• Katsu Curry
• Easy Vegan Miso Ramen
• Teriyaki Tofu
• Vegan Gyozas