The 2-Ingredient Recipe I Learned From a Japanese Chef (It’s So Delicious)

Eggplant’s purple orbs have always called to me from the supermarket shelves, but I struggled with what to do with them. Then, in my thirties, I visited a small, family-owned Japanese restaurant in San Francisco for a night with a group of friends.

Buoyed by my friend’s command of Japanese, the owners graciously treated us to a series of fantastic dishes: entire fish prepared for sashimi and silken chawanmushi. But the dish every single one of us remembers, years later, was nasu dengaku, a miso-glazed eggplant dish that I had never eaten before. Every bite was soft and melty, the eggplant sweet as candy.

How I Make My Miso-Glazed Eggplant

More traditional preparations of this dish include sugar, mirin, and sake. However, I began making a simplified version with just eggplant and miso. Using Japanese eggplant (the long, skinny kind) and a mellow white miso, I learned you can transform each bite into a sweet, salty pop of flavor. 

I also prepared the eggplant the way the restaurant did, cutting it into individual bites, rather than serving it cut in half lengthwise. Prepared this way, the eggplant is as easy to eat as chicken fingers, roasted potatoes, or fried tofu. You will be unable to resist popping additional bites into your mouth.

Recently, I found myself in front of the fridge in the middle of the night, casually grabbing one to snack on; the memory from dinner wasn’t enough. 

Choosing the Right Ingredients

I’m impressed by how many kinds of eggplant you can now find at most supermarkets. Just this week, mine had the common globe-shaped eggplants in multiple colors, as well as Japanese and Indian eggplant (an egg-shaped variety). 

While the miso and broiler will work their magic on almost any kind of eggplant, the secret to turning this recipe into perfect bite-sized pieces is to choose small to medium-sized Japanese eggplant. No more than two to three inches in diameter, about eight inches in length, they should weigh around a pound.

The miso you choose will determine how salty or sweet the final recipe will be. For that reason, I always choose white miso, rather than yellow or red, as it is the least salty. It creates a very mellow tasting paste. You can find miso in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. 

How to Make My Miso-Glazed Eggplant

For 2 servings, you’ll need:

• 2 small to medium Japanese eggplants
• 1 1/2 tablespoons shiro (white) miso
• Cooking spray or vegetable oil

Set your oven for 425°F, with a rack in the middle. Peel the eggplant. Trim off the stem and a small slice from the bottom of the eggplant. You should be left with nothing but the white flesh. Cut the eggplant into 1 to 1 1/2-inch slices. 

In a container with a tight-fitting lid, large enough for the miso and eggplant, add the miso and 1/4 cup water, and mash the miso into a paste with a fork. The resulting paste should have the consistency of salad dressing. Add the sliced eggplant to the container, put the top on and shake for 10 to 20 seconds to coat each piece of eggplant with the miso mixture.

Lightly coat the bottom of a large baking sheet with cooking spray or oil. With a fork or tongs, remove the eggplant from the container and place on the tray, leaving a little space between the pieces. Bake for 20 minutes. Test the eggplant by piercing one with a fork. If it slides in easily, the eggplant is ready. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. 

Easy Tweaks

• If you can’t find Japanese eggplant, cut globe eggplants into thick planks or 1-inch cubes. If making planks, adjust the cooking time from 20 to 30 minutes. 
• Garnish the finished eggplant with sesame seeds or chopped herbs like cilantro or Thai basil for an additional layer of flavor and texture.
• Replace 2 tablespoons of water with lemon juice or sake to add brightness to the eggplant.
• If you’d like a more sweet and salty bite, very lightly sprinkle the top of each piece of eggplant with white sugar, after it’s been coated with miso and before it goes in the oven. 

More Easy Eggplant Recipes

• Easy Roasted Eggplant
• Whole Grilled Eggplant
• Eggplant Caviar
• Whole Roasted Eggplant With Chili Crisp