Eggplant (Nasu ) with Miso or Ginger Soy

Eggplant with 2 dressings, miso and ginger soy

I fondly remember eating eggplant in a rustic restaurant in the countryside (inaka) in Japan with an Australian friend.  The restaurant was called “Ai”, which means “indigo”, the blue used to dye traditional Japanese clothing worn by the working class in Edo Japan. Coincidentally another meaning of “ai” in Japanese is love.
The restaurant had large roughly hewn wooden beams typical of farmhouses in traditional Japan. The food was served on rustic plates on solid wooden tables. Among the local dishes that we ate was an excellent eggplant one. My friend and I discussed the ways that eggplant is cooked in Japan and the flavors that it is combined with. Our favourites are eggplant with soy sauce and ginger and eggplant with miso dressing. See the recipes below.  

Eggplant with a Miso dressing

Eggplant with a Miso dressing
Serves 4

4 small (Japanese) eggplants OR 1 or 2 large western ones , remove tops and sliced lengthways for small eggplants and diagonally for larger ones, then cut in half lengthways

1/4  cup vegetable oil
For the miso dressing:
3 tablespoons white miso (soy bean paste), it is a light brown colour

1 tablespoons mirin  (Japanese cooking sake)1 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water or bonito dashi

Soy sauce to serve

1.     Heat the  water/stock, miso, mirin and sugar together in a small saucepan.   
2.  Heat half of the vegetable oil in a frypan add half of the eggplants and sauté the eggplant till browned and soft. Set aside on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining oil and eggplant.

3. Spread the miso mixture thinly on the eggplants to serve, or serve on the side. 

Variation: For sesame miso dressing: Omit water/stock and mix in a few tablespoons of ground sesame seeds  Eggplant with Ginger Soy
Serves 4
4 small (Japanese) eggplants OR 1 or 2 large western ones , remove tops and sliced lengthways for small eggplants and diagonally for larger ones, then cut in half lengthways

1/3 cup vegetable oil

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon root ginger, freshly grated

¼ cup bonito flakes

Soy sauce to serve

1.       Heat half of the vegetable and sesame oils in a fry pan, add half of the ginger and eggplants and sauté the eggplant till browned and soft.

2.       Repeat with the remaining oils, ginger and eggplant.

3.       Sprinkle on bonito flakes and pour over a little soy sauce to serve.