Nasu dengaku (miso grilled aubergine)
This riff on sweet 'n' sour miso grilled aubergine from Kurobuta, a tiny café-like space on Chelsea’s King’s Road, makes the perfect starter or side dish that looks impressive but is actually very easy
- 4 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- a small piece (optional) kombu
- ½ yuzuzested or 1 tsp juice (or use lime zest)
- 1 white radish (mooli)peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 large aubergine
- for deep frying oil
- 50ml (see below) den miso
- 50g walnutsroughly chopped
- a pinch sesame seeds
- a pinch sansho or Szechuan pepper
- to serve lemon wedges
- 100g brown miso paste
- 55g caster sugar
- 40ml sake
- 40ml mirin
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal254
- saturates2.1g
- protein4.4g
Method
step 1
To make the den miso, whisk the ingredients together until smooth.
step 2
Heat the vinegar, sugar, kombu and yuzu until the sugar dissolves. Season with salt. Toss the mooli with the mix, allow to cool, and chill for an hour.
step 3
Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Peel the aubergine, and cut into 3cm chunks. Heat the oil in a pan, no more than 2/3 full, to 180C or until a piece of bread browns in 20 seconds. Fry the aubergine until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain well on kitchen paper.
step 4
Coat the fried aubergine generously in the den miso, put onto a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 2-4 minutes until the den miso caramelises – keep your eye on it as the sugar will burn quite easily. Drain it again on kitchen paper before putting it on a serving plate. Scatter with chopped walnuts, sesame seeds, and a pinch of sansho pepper. Serve with the mooli and lemon.
