Barbecue eggplant dengaku

Famed to be the favourite dish of the Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga, this dish originally used the red miso of Nagoya, but these days you can use any miso you like.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Eggplant

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

G

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, cut into 3-cm rounds
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 thin spring onion, thinly sliced

Dark dengaku sauce

• 100 g red (hatcho) miso
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1½ tbsp sugar

Light dengaku miso

• 100 g white (shiro) miso
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. For the dark dengaku sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the mixture is bubbling and the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool, then transfer to an airtight container and keep until ready to use. The mixture will keep for around 3 months so while this makes more than you will need for this recipe, it’s worth making extra.
2. For the light dengaku sauce, repeat the same process as for the dark dengaku sauce.
3. Preheat the oven grill and a heavy–based ridged grill pan or barbecue grill over medium heat. Brush the eggplant liberally with the vegetable oil and grill for about 4 minutes on each side or until tender.
4. Transfer to a baking tray and top each round with a generous amount of either the light or dark miso. Place under the grill and cook for about 5 minutes or until the miso is fragrant, then transfer to a serving plate. Scatter with sesame seeds and spring onion and serve.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Eggplant

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

G