Grilled Eggplant with Miso Sauce
Ingredients
- Miso Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mirin (a Japanese cooking wine found in specialty shops)
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar (or to taste)
- 1 cup white or yellow miso
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger pulp
- Grilled Eggplant:
- 8 Japanese eggplants
- Canola oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Preparation
To prepare the miso sauce: Combine the mirin and sake in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the sugar. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes to burn off the alcohol, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in the miso. Simmer gently until the sauce is a pale caramel color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Whisk in the ginger.
Meanwhile, to prepare the eggplant: Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Peel the eggplant lengthwise, leaving some strips of skin between each peeled section of eggplant. Brush the eggplants lightly with oil. Lower the heat under the grill pan to medium-high.
Grill the eggplants, turning occasionally, until the eggplants are tender and dark golden brown and slightly charred with grill marks, 5 to 10 minutes.
Cut the eggplants lengthwise in half, leaving them attached at the stem end.
Arrange the eggplants on a platter. Brush with the miso sauce. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.
