Whole Roasted Miso Aubergine Recipes

WHOLE ROASTED MISO AUBERGINE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C/350ºC/gas 4.
• Peel the ginger and garlic, and finely slice the chillies. Pierce the aubergines all over with a paring knife, as if you were making incisions into a piece of meat.
• Grate the ginger into a large mortar and pestle, and bash together with the garlic, chillies and a good pinch of salt until you have a thick paste. Mix in just enough oil to make it spoonable, then spoon the mixture over the aubergines and massage it into the incisions, really getting the flavours inside.
• Place the aubergines in a large roasting tray, dot the cherry tomatoes around, and pop into the oven for 40 minutes, turning a couple of times.
• While the aubergines are cooking, trim and finely slice the spring onions and roughly chop the coriander, stalks and all. Put into a bowl, squeeze over the lime juice to coat and mix all together. Leave to one side.
• Mix together the tamarind, honey and miso and add enough water to make a thick glaze. Remove the roasting tray from the oven after 40 minutes, turn the oven up to 200°C/gas 6, and drizzle the miso glaze over the aubergines. Pop back into the oven for a further 15 minutes, to caramelise, then remove and leave to cool a little.
• Working carefully, remove the stalks from the aubergines and discard them, then roughly chop the flesh in the tray into coarse chunks. Stir in the dressed spring onions and coriander and serve right away.

MISO AUBERGINES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. With a sharp knife, criss-cross the flesh of the aubergines in a diagonal pattern, then place on a baking tray. Brush the flesh with 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
• Mix the miso with 25ml water to make a thick paste. Spread the paste over the aubergines, then cover the tray with foil and roast in the centre of the oven for 30 mins.
• Remove the foil and roast the aubergines for a further 15-20 mins, depending on their size, until tender.
• Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and heat ½ tbsp vegetable oil over a medium-high heat in a frying pan. Add the couscous to the frying pan, toast for 2 mins until golden brown, then tip into the pan of boiling water and cook for 8-10 mins until tender (or following pack instructions). Drain well. Serve the aubergines with the couscous, topped with the chilli and a scattering of coriander leaves.

MISO-GLAZED AUBERGINE (NASU DENGAKU)

Steps:

• 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.

MISO-ROASTED AUBERGINE STEAKS WITH SWEET POTATO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel the aubergine with a potato peeler and roughly spread the miso paste all over it - the best way to do this is with the back of a spoon.
• Put it in a roasting tin along with the sweet potato wedges. Pour 225ml boiling water into the base of the tin, then add the oil, ginger and garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the wedges and place in the oven.
• After 30 mins, pour another 125ml boiling water into the base of the tin and roast for another 20 mins. Repeat, adding 50ml boiling water and the spring onions, and roast for 10 mins more. Check the aubergine is cooked by inserting a knife in the centre - if it is ready it will easily slide in and out, and the aubergine will be soft on the inside.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the potato wedges, slice the aubergine into 2cm thick 'steaks' and serve on top of the potatoes. If there is no sauce in the bottom of the tin, add 3 tbsp water to loosen up the miso, then pour the miso gravy over the aubergine steaks and sprinkle with cracked black pepper.