Those of us who have fruit and veg subscription boxes might notice that aubergines seem to be piling up! People can be put off by these deep purple beauties because they’re often cooked incorrectly! This recipe really celebrates their great texture and flavour. You can treat our Miso Glazed Aubergine as a main course or as a side. We served ours in a homemade vegan bao bun (from Woon-Heng Chia’s recipe). However, you can also serve this in a burger bun! Just scoop out the inside of the aubergine and enjoy!
What can you expect from Miso Glazed Aubergine?
The inclusion of a sweet and savoury miso glaze works perfectly with the aubergine. This veg tends to absorb fermented flavours really well. Miso is just fermented soybeans with grains, (usually barley or rice), koji and salt. Koji is a type of mould that ferments the soybeans and contributes to that distinctive umami flavour. As the aubergine itself has a great texture without too strong a flavour of its own, the combination of the two works brilliantly. And I think this is where people go wrong when usually cooking aubergine. Don’t expect too much of it by itself, better to use it as a background note over which you can build up and develop other flavours.
You can also view our deep-dive on the nutritional benefits of aubergine here!
Why Miso?
Miso is a source of vitamin B12 that is essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system. It also plays a role in preventing anemia. Those of us on plant-based diets, or who take certain medicines that inhibit the production of B12, need to carefully watch our B12 intake. Miso, much like many fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, can contribute to our daily requirement of B12 in a natural way. An added bonus of this recipe is, of course, the celebration of aubergines! We never seem to have enough purple in our diets so I do hope you enjoy this. Don’t forget to send me your photos on Instagram!
You can find all my other quarantine cooking here on our blog, or you can watch a step-by-step video guide over on our Instagram. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn to vote on any recipes, keep up to date with our #FoodWasteFridays series and our blog posts on naturally nourishing souper foods!
Miso Glazed Aubergine
Equipment
- Knife
- Baking Tray
- Baking Paper
- Pastry Brush
- Saucepan
- Tongs (optional)
- Whisk
- Chopping Board
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 Aubergines
- 2-3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- Salt & Pepper
Glaze
- 1 ½ tbsp Miso Paste
- 1 tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce
- 40-50 ml White Wine Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger (or frozen or ¼ tsp Ground Ginger)
- 1 Clove Garlic, grated or finely minced
Garnish
- Sesame seeds optional
- Nigella seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- Cut the aubergine in half. Score the aubergine flesh with a knife in a criss-cross pattern all over. Take care not to cut all the way through the flesh, we don’t want to pierce the skin.
- Brush the aubergine liberally with olive oil using a pastry brush or similar. Make sure to brush inside the scored lines too.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium to high heat and add the oiled aubergines. Cook the aubergines on both sides for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the aubergines to the baking tray, with the scored side facing up.
- Place the aubergines in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the aubergine from the oven and turn up the heat to 240°C/460°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the miso paste, tamari (or soy sauce), white wine vinegar, caster sugar, ginger, and garlic.
- Then, transfer the glaze to a saucepan and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes until the glaze has slightly thickened.
- Spread the glaze over the scored aubergines using a pastry brush or similar.
- Place the aubergines back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the aubergines are sticky and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle sesame or nigella seeds over the aubergines. To serve, scoop out the flesh of the aubergine and eat inside a bao or burger bun! Enjoy!