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Nasu dengaku

Name: Nasu dengaku
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 piece Japanese aubergines (the source says 2–4); vegetable oil, for brushing; 100 g hatcho (red) miso; 2 tbsp sake; 2 tbsp mirin; 2 tbsp sugar; toasted sesame seeds, kinome sprigs, grated ginger

茄子田楽 (nasu dengaku)

Japanese aubergines grilled until soft, then brushed with a thick paste of red hatcho miso, sake, mirin and sugar and returned to the heat until the miso toasts. Adam Liaw's recipe for SBS. Dengaku is the name for this way of grilling with sweet miso, also used for tofu and rice cakes.

Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.

Servings: 4
Preparation: 15 min
Cooking: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Barbecue or grill, or an oven at 200 °C
Long metal skewers (for grilling)

Servings4

Ingredients

Shopping list

Method

Trim the aubergines and halve lengthways. If you like, soak in cold water for 10 minutes to remove some bitterness, then dry.
Mix the miso, sake, mirin and sugar to a smooth paste; grind coarse miso briefly in a mortar.
Score the cut faces in a cross pattern and brush with a little oil. Skewer and grill over hot coals for about 10 minutes, until browned and soft; or roast at 200 °C for 15 minutes.
Why Scoring lets the heat into the flesh and gives the miso something to grip.
Timer · 15 min15:00
Brush with a thick layer of dengaku miso and return to the heat for 2–3 minutes, until the miso is toasted and fragrant. Remove the skewers and garnish if you like.
Why Brief, high heat caramelises the sugar in the miso; longer and it burns.
Timer · 3 min3:00

Substitutions

Hatcho miso → White (shiro) miso gives a sweeter, paler glaze; SBS's Diana Chan version uses it.
Japanese aubergines → One large aubergine, halved, roasted longer until soft.

Common mistakes

Glazing before the aubergine is cooked through: the miso burns before the flesh softens.

Storage & reheating

Best eaten hot. The dengaku miso keeps several weeks in the fridge.

Safety

Contains soy (miso). Some miso is made with barley or wheat; check the label if avoiding gluten. Sesame if used to garnish.

Allergens

Soy

Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

Dietary

vegan · dairy-free

Grilled with sweet miso

In Japanese cooking, SBS explains, grilling with sweetened miso is called dengaku. Aubergine is the best-known version, but the same miso is used on tofu, rice cakes and other vegetables.

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Cook, then glaze

The aubergine is cooked first until soft, over coals or in the oven. The miso paste, thick and sweet, goes on only at the end for two or three minutes, so the sugar toasts without burning. Hatcho miso, a dark soybean miso, gives a deep, slightly bitter savouriness.

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How it connects

Wine region

origin Japan