Nasu Dengaku – Miso Glazed Eggplant

This is a traditional Japanese nasu dengaku recipe you will fall in love with! Tender broiled eggplant slices brushed with a sweet miso glaze – it’s simply irresistible and ready in just 15 minutes!

Everyone has certain ingredients that give them trouble in the kitchen.

Until recently, my most troublesome ingredient was the eggplant.

Although it is one of my favorite vegetables when cooked properly, I couldn’t seem to get it right! I either overcooked it until mushy and half disintegrated – or undercooked it (possibly the worst way to serve it to someone who’s never tasted eggplant). Crunchy trauma.

However, I’m excited to share with you the delicious eggplant dish that finally broke the curse for me!

This nasu dengaku recipe was my first major success in cooking with eggplant. And I’m excited to share it with you!

What is nasu dengaku?

Nasu Dengaku is a classic Japanese side dish made with eggplant sliced in half, scored and brushed with a sweet and savory miso glaze.

The translation literally means eggplant grilled over a fire, which is exactly how it’s done in Japan.

My version is a little different – I pan fry the eggplant halves for a few minutes and finish them under a broiler until the miso glaze caramelizes and bubbles.

The flavor is savory, smoky and sweet – with a toasted, nutty essence skirting around the edges. It’s SO good!

Ingredients for Nasu Dengaku

• Eggplant: When I make this dish, I like to use eggplant that are on the small side. They tend to be less bitter than larger eggplant. Male eggplants also tend to have fewer seeds. A good way to check the sex of an eggplant is to look at the bottom. Slimmer eggplants with a round indentation mark at the bottom tend to be male. Rounder eggplants with an indentation that is elongated tend to be female.
• Vegetable Oil: Any neutral flavored cooking oil will work well for this recipe.
• Miso Paste: I like to use awase miso, which is a mixture of red and white miso paste. It is deeply savory, a little sweet – and loaded with umami. Learn all about miso paste here.
• Sugar: A little sugar adds a touch of sweetness without going over into cloying territory. And it also helps the sauce caramelize to perfection under the broiler.
• Mirin: This fermented rice wine rounds out the flavors in many Japanese dishes – and tempers some of the saltiness from the miso paste. It’s easy to find at your local Asian grocery store – or grab mirin on Amazon.
• Sake: Cooking sake lends a touch of mild dryness with slight sharp notes to our eggplant glaze.
• Sesame Seeds: Sprinkle a few sesame seeds on your eggplant just before serving. You’ll love the toasted nuttiness!

How to make miso glazed Japanese eggplant

1. Prepare the eggplant. First, slice the eggplant in half, lengthwise. Then score the inside flesh of each half with a knife in a criss-cross pattern.
2. Cook the eggplant. Get a pan going over over high heat and add your oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place your eggplant halves in the pan with the skin facing down. Cook for a few minutes until the skin begins to brown.
3. Flip it! Next, flip the eggplant over and cook with a lid on the pan on for 3-4 minutes – until the eggplant is cooked through, and the inside flesh has browned.
4. Make the miso glaze. Meanwhile, whisk your miso paste, sake, mirin and sugar together in a small bowl until you achieve a smooth consistency.
5. Apply the sauce. Take your eggplant halves out of the pan – and place them on top of a foil lined baking sheet with the skin facing down. Brush each piece generously on top with the miso glaze.
6. Broil the nasu dengaku. Place in the oven and broil for 4 minutes. The glaze on top should be bubbling.
7. Serve. Top with sesame seeds and serve it immediately.

That’s it! So easy. The eggplant will be tender and cooked to perfection. And the flavor is out of this world!

A tip on cooking the eggplant

Halving and then scoring the inside of eggplant with a knife will ensure that it cooks properly in the pan.

• The trick to scoring the eggplant is to cut the inside flesh in a criss-cross pattern – without cutting the outer skin. Watch the video on this page if you’re a visual learner (like me!).

Also, when pan frying, it’s a good idea to cook long enough that the flesh gets a decent amount of color on it – but not so long that it turns to mush. Remember, the final step of cooking is under the intense heat of the broiler in your oven.

What to serve with nasu dengaku

You can serve this miso dengaku as a main with a simple side of plain white rice. Check out my post on how to make perfect Japanese rice on the stove-top and in a rice cooker.

Or serve this as a side and easily pair it up with full flavored dishes like this savory Japanese Curry – this veggie studded Japanese fried rice – or this impossibly crispy baked chicken katsu.

Hey – how about making a simple side salad and topping it with this iconic Japanese restaurant style carrot and ginger dressing? You really can’t go wrong!

And check out these other delicious and easy eggplant recipes:

• Chinese Eggplant With Garlic Sauce
• Char Siu Style Roasted Eggplant
• Eggplant and Kabocha Miso Gratin
• Sauteed Eggplant With Spicy Miso Sauce

Did you like this Nasu Dengaku Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

Serve nasu dengaku with a side of Japanese rice. Watch our video on How To Make Japanese Rice the stove top or rice cooker method!

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