These are delicious served either hot or cold, with jasmine rice or on a bed of quinoa. Make sure that you that choose a mild miso paste — the darker the colour the more salty the paste.
Serves 4
Prep: 20 minutes
Coo: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
2 aubergines
2 tbsp groundnut oil
4 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 tbsp sake
4 tbsp white miso paste
150ml water
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
For the garnish:
Handful toasted sesame seeds
Small bunch coriander
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Wash and pat dry the aubergine, then halve it lengthways.
- With the tip of a knife, score the flesh deeply in a diamond criss-cross pattern by making five or six long cuts on the diagonal, cutting at a steep angle, and then rotating the aubergine to make another set of similar cuts. Make sure you do not do not cut through the skin.
- Mix the groundnut and sesame oils and brush both sides of the aubergines with them.
- Put the aubergines cut-side down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, checking often to make sure that they do not burn.
- If your aubergines are still not tender all the way through, give them a further 5-10 minutes.
- Place the mirin and sake in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 2 minutes to allow some of the alcohol to cook off.
- Add the miso paste, water, sugar and soy sauce and stir until smooth.
- Bring to the boil, and reduce to a thick sauce, stirring continuously with a whisk.
- Spread miso sauce on the cut surface of the tender aubergines and return them to the oven for 10 minutes until the sauce bubbles.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and coriander.
