So this is an original recipe, one that came out of a place of creativity… (*ahem* read: desperation and resourcefulness) the other day when I happened upon a lonely eggplant in my fridge when crisper-diving for “fridge surprise” ingredients for dinner.

I suddenly got this craving for miso-glazed eggplant, but of course when at other times I have used a quarter of a packet of miso paste and the rest has sat in my fridge for a month unused, that day I had none.

Anyway, I put my “Heston-hat” on and decided to create my own glaze from what I could find in the pantry.

Now if I had actually HAD miso paste (and an appropriately stocked supply of ingredients) in the pantry, it would have taken the place of the stock cubes below, and instead of the Chinese cooking wine and dry white that I used, I would have used mirin and sake.

But this turned out really well – so I thought I’d share it with you, in the event that you are also caught in a miso-glazed eggplant emergency and are caught out without the right ingredients!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 vegetable stock cubes dissolved in ¾ cup of hot water (you can use chicken stock if you prefer)
• Splash of soy (about 2 tab – but adjust this to taste)
• 1 tsp fish sauce (??optional – I actually can’t remember if I actually put fish sauce in, but I am thinking at the moment as I sit here that it would have been a good idea had I thought of it at the time)
• 1 tab Shao Tsing Chinese cooking wine
• 1/3 cup of dry white wine
• Shake of white pepper
• Shake of sesame oil (probably about 1 tsp)
• 2 tsp of corn starch dissolved in a small amount of cold tap water (maybe 20mL?) to thicken glaze
• 1/3 cup of oil for brushing eggplant (I use canola or olive oil)
• 1 large eggplant cut into long slices
• Black (“Nigella”) and white sesame seeds
• Sprig of coriander (or microgreens) to garnish

METHOD

1. Make your glaze: pop your stock, soy, cooking wine, fish sauce, sesame oil and wine into a pot on medium heat till starting to boil, season with pepper.
2. Dissolve your cornstarch in a small amount of cold tap water, then in small increments to simmering stock mixture, stirring continuously until glaze is nicely thickened. Remove from heat and set aside
3. Slice up your eggplant and brush with oil both sides
4. Place on medium heat on a griddle pan till softened (careful – don’t make your pan too hot or you will burn your eggplant before it is cooked through)
5. When you flip the eggplant over the first time, heavily brush with glaze
6. Repeat on the other side until coated
7. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with black and white sesame seeds and coriander
8. Serve with steaming hot jasmine rice

Nom nom nom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me know if you try it!

Until next time, keep cooking!

xxDr Megs