Japanese food is amongst the healthiest in the world. All you have to do is google “health benefits of Japanese food” and you can see the endless pages highlighting the lower risk of heart disease, longer life , reduced risk of diabetes etc. There are also suggestions of lower incidence of some cancers. The common denominator in all of these is…yup, you’ve guessed it, polyphenols!

Polyphenols activate certain receptors in our bodies, resulting in the effects mentioned above. Japanese and Mediterranean foods are amongst the highest containing polyphenol groups ( which is why they are amongst the healthiest populations in the world).

The proof of prolonged life has so far been proven academically in mice only , however the long lifespan of the Japanese population is a reflection of their diet!

I personally love the umami flavour and never tired of Japanese food. This dish, Miso Aubergine, is quick and easy to make.

Theses aubergines are best when oven-cooked however I have made this dish with fried aubergine and it is equally good.

You can even marinade the aubergine first in a bowl and then place it them into the oven. It is a very forgiving recipe!

The polyphenol dose of this dish comes from the miso paste (which is soya based) , the soya sauce and the aubergine. I serve this with white rice, however brown rice is equally good.

I have also made this as a side dish to Ken Wong’s Lemon& ginger salmon dish   (original recipe here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/stirfriedsalmonwithl_86955) or my version here.

Here is my recipe for Miso Aubergine /Eggplant. Happy eating!

Miso Aubergine

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time:  16-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Brown or white Miso paste 4 Tablespoons
• Honey 3 tablespoons
• Soy Sauce 2 tablespoons
• Mirin 3 tablespoons
• Sesame oil 2 tablespoons
• Sesame seeds and spring onion for decoration if desired.

Method:

If cooking half aubergines:

You can either :

Cut the aubergines in halves in the longitudinal direction and score the aubergine flesh.

OR
If cutting into wedges then choose the size and shape you desire and cook as below.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan and place the aubergines, flesh side down, into the pan. I don’t put any oil in the pan at this stage as it delays the browning and aubergine is notorious for being fat thirsty. After 2-3 min on medium heat you can add a table spoon of oil or oil spray. Cook flesh side on moderate heat  for 5 min and then turn onto skin side. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

At this stage you have two options again: For half cut aubergine I recommend oven cooking but for wedges /cut aubergine , you can just cook in the pan.

Put the oven on grill setting.

Take the aubergine off the heat, place on a foil covered oven tray ( If you don’t use foil you will regret it as the sugar caramelises and turns hard when cool, ruining your lovely over-tray!).

In a bowl, mix all the wet ingredients ingredients and mix. You can taste the mixture at this point. Depending on the type of miso you are using the salt content may vary. If too sweet you can add some soy sauce, if too salty, add some more honey.

The proportions are not hard parameters. It isn’t like baking, you can vary the ingredients and still get a great result!

Pour the mixture over the aubergine, ensuring all the flesh is covered. If cooking aubergines in wedges, its worth moving the aubergine pieces around to ensure all sides covered.

Place under the hot grill for 5-6 minutes. DO NOT LEAVE the oven! The sugar can turn very quickly.

When golden brown, remove from the grill.

IF cooking in pan, cook the aubergines for about 15 minutes ( instead of 10 ), leave the aubergine in the pan and simply pour the mixture over the aubergine and cook under low heat for further 5-6 minutes ensuring you turn the aubergines regularly.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onions if desired.

Happy eating everyone!
please feel free to leave comments and feedback.

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