Miso-Glazed Eggplant

As I've mentioned before, Austin isn't a huge eggplant fan. I, on the other hand, love it so much I can’t fathom anyone not feeling the same way. I’ve therefore declared that Austin’s dislike is really silly prejudice and have made it my mission to periodically sneak eggplant onto his plate when he’s not looking. Thankfully, he’s a pretty good sport about it and eats at least one serving of every eggplant-containing dish. My plan to make him taste the goodness in eggplant requires me to always be on the lookout for ways to cook it that I think he may enjoy.

When I saw Eric Growe’s miso-glazed eggplant recipe in Yoga Journal, I quickly ripped out the page and stuck it on my fridge, deeming it a perfect candidate for a (not so) stealthy attack. I've since served Austin a modified version of the dish several times. Not surprisingly, I think it’s delicious. But Austin has even gone so far as to describe it as “good” and have seconds. That's about as glowing an endorsement as I could hope for.

 

Miso-Glazed Eggplant
Adapted from the Eric Gower recipe published in the May 2011 issue of Yoga Journal
Makes 4 servings

• About 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 lbs Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise and scored about 1/2 inch / 1 cm deep on the fleshy side
• 1/3 cup yellow (or other type of) miso
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of white wine or sake
• 1 1/2 tablespoon maple or agave syrup
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• A couple pinches red chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• Optional: 1 teaspoon chili and garlic paste 

1.  Preheat your oven's broiler. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add about 1/3 of the eggplant halves cut-side down. Flip the halves after about 4 minutes or once they've browned. Cook them for another 3 minutes or so on the other side and then transfer them to a foiled-lined or greased baking sheet, cut-side up. Repeat for the rest of the eggplant.

2.  While the eggplant is cooking, whisk together the miso, wine, maple syrup, garlic, chili flakes, and garlic chili paste, if using. Brush the eggplant generously with the miso mixture. Place under the broiler for about 2-4 minutes or until golden brown. (As you can see, mine got a bit too brown but it was still delicious).

3.  Sprinkle the eggplant with the toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.