Pan-fried eggplant topped with sweet miso sauce, Miso Glazed Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) is a very simple side dish or appetiser. Sweet miso goes so well with eggplant, which melts in your mouth. The secret to my miso sauce is the egg yolk. It gives a better texture to the miso sauce and the flavour is rich but delicate.
Sweet miso sauce is called ‘dengaku miso’ (田楽味噌). Why it is called ‘dengaku’ is rather interesting. Dengaku (田楽) is actually a rustic Japanese musical celebration established in the middle of the Heian period (794 – 1185).
Dengaku miso is the miso paste used on grilled tofu cut into rectangular blocks with a bamboo skewer attached, and it became popular in the mid-16th century. The shape of the white tofu with a bamboo skewer resembled one of the characters in the Dengaku musical (tofu looks like the traditional Japanese clothing called ‘hakama’ which are like long pleated culottes).
Even now, tofu is one of the most popular ingredients to have dengaku miso glazed over. It is called ‘tofu dengaku’ (豆腐田楽). Other popular ingredients include konnyaku and daikon (white radish). With the dengaku miso on top, they are called ‘konnyaku dengaku’ (こんにゃく田楽) and ‘daikon dengaku’ (大根田楽) respectively. And of course today’s recipe, Nasu Dengaku, is as popular as the others .
These dengaku dishes are collectively called ‘miso dengaku’ (味噌田楽). Confused?
About Dengaku Miso
The simplest way of making dengaku miso is to mix miso, sugar, sake and mirin and cook it until it becomes the right consistency. But the professionals add egg yolk to the miso mixture as it transforms the sauce to a rich and yet delicate flavour and texture. So, I use this professional method to make dengaku miso.
Traditional dengaku miso tends to use dark coloured miso called ‘aka miso’ or ‘hatchō miso’. But at home, you can use any kind of miso paste to make dengaku miso.
Miso can be categorised into three basic types – shiro miso (light coloured miso, almost yellowish), aka miso (dark brown miso, also called ‘hatchō miso’ or ‘akadashi miso’) and awase miso (brown coloured miso). You can find out more about types of miso in my post, Miso Soup Basics.
Depending on the type of miso, the amount of sugar, sake and mirin to be added to make dengaku miso varies. This is because different types of miso contain different amounts of salt.
In my recipe, I made dengaku miso using all three different types of miso so that you can see what they look like. But you don’t need to make all types for this dish.
I don’t have a sweet tooth, as I have often mentioned in my blog. So, my dengaku miso is probably not extremely sweet like you sometimes find at some Japanese restaurants. If you have sweet tooth, you can adjust the sweetness by adding extra sugar.
Preparing and Cooking Eggplant for Dengaku
Depending on the size of the eggplant you are using, you may want to prepare the it differently. If you can find Japanese style eggplant which is about 10cm (4”) long, 4cm (1½”) wide, then cut the eggplant vertically in half. If you have a very large eggplant like the Aussie standard eggplant, which is twice as long and wide than the Japanese style, then you will need to cut it crosswise into 2cm-thick discs.
To get the eggplant pieces cooked fast, score the eggplant flesh (white part) at 1cm intervals using a knife. Cut into the flesh more than half the thickness of the flesh.
In the case of vertically cut eggplant, score the white flesh diagonally to the length of the eggplant, then score it in the other direction diagonally, making diamonds.
In the case of round discs, score them like a grid, on one side only.
It is also good to make an incision between the skin and the flesh using a knife so that the melting eggplant flesh separates from the hard skin easily when eating.
A common method of cooking eggplant for dengaku is either to cook in a fry pan or to deep fry. In this recipe I cooked them in a fry pan which, I think, is simpler and less oily. But if you prefer deep frying, fry them in 180C oil for a couple of minutes, turning over the eggplant once.
When eggplant is cooked, the flesh becomes so soft that it melts in your mouth. Sweet miso sauce goes so well with it.
Some recipes grill the surface of the miso to get it slightly burnt before serving. I don’t think it is necessary and my recipe does not grill the surface. But if you are interested, you may try that.
You will find that the amount of dengaku miso made in my recipe is quite a lot. This is because I needed to add an egg yolk to the dengaku miso and the amount of miso required for one egg yolk is 80g, which makes about 6 tablespoons of dengaku miso. You only need about ½ tablespoon of the dengaku miso on top of a piece of eggplant.
But don’t worry, dengaku miso keeps very well. Place it in an air tight container and store it in the fridge up to 2 months. I sometimes use the Dengaku miso as a dip for cucumber sticks, too.
Almost forgot – Happy New Year!
Yumiko
Pan-fried eggplant topped with sweet miso sauce is a very simple side dish or appetiser. Sweet miso goes so well with eggplant, which melts in your mouth. The secret to my miso sauce is the egg yolk. It gives a better texture to the miso sauce and the flavour is rich but delicate. Each miso type makes about 6 tablespoons of dengaku miso. Pick any type of miso and follow the instructions. Serving is based on the amount of eggplant used in the recipe.
Cook time assumes 1 kind of miso sauce is made.
- 80 g aka miso (note 1)
- 1 egg yolk , remove chalazae ( little white strings)
- 2 tbsp sugar (note 2)
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 80 g sweet shiro miso (note 1)
- 1 egg yolk , remove chalazae ( little white strings)
- 1 tbsp sugar (note 2)
- 2 tbsp sake
- ½ tbsp mirin
- 80 g awase miso (note 1)
- 1 egg yolk , remove chalazae ( little white strings)
- 1½ tbsp sugar (note 2)
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1½ tbsp mirin
- 200-250 g eggplant (1 large or 2 small, note 3)
- 2 tbsp+ oil
- Roasted white sesame seeds
- Grated lime rind
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Add miso and egg yolk in a small saucepan and mix well using a spatula.
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Add the remaining Dengaku Miso ingredients of your choice and mix well.
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Place the saucepan over medium heat and constantly mix the miso sauce using a spatula.
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When the edge of the miso sauce starts bubbling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and continue to cook and mix for about 2 minutes until the sauce thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise.
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Turn the heat off and transfer to a bowl or an air tight container. When slightly cooled down, cover with cling wrap/lid and store until required.
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The amount of one type of dengaku miso can serve 8-10 pieces of eggplant (note 4).
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Remove the stem end of the eggplant.
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If you are using one large eggplant, cut it crosswise into 2cm wide discs. There should be about 6 discs. Do not use the round end of the eggplant. If using two small eggplants, cut each of them vertically into half.
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While working on each piece of eggplant, keep the rest in a bowl filled with water. This will prevent the flesh of the eggplant from getting brownish.
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Score the eggplant flesh at 1cm intervals as far as you can without cutting through to the other side. Then score again perpendicular to the first cuts (if discs) or to make diamonds (if vertically cut eggplants).
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Run a knife around the eggplant shape, just inside of skin.
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Add the eggplant pieces and the oil in a bowl and thoroughly coat them with the oil.
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Heat a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Hold the eggplant pieces in a bowl and drain the oil into the frypan if any oil is accumulated at the bottom of the bowl.
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Place the eggplant pieces in the pan, scored side down and cook for 2 minutes.
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Turn them over and cook further 2 minutes. The eggplant flesh should become quite soft but if the thick part of the eggplant is not soft yet, place a lid on and cook further 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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Turn eggplant pieces over and transfer them onto a serving plate.
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Drop ⅓ or ½ tablespoon (note 4) of dengaku miso on each piece of eggplant and spread the miso over the entire surface of the eggplant.
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For dark miso, sprinkle white sesame seeds over the top (if using). Grate lime rind (or sprinkle dried seaweed flakes) over white miso.
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Serve while warm.
1. There are mainly three types of miso that have noticeably different colours. Aka miso is very dark brown and almost reddish. It is also called ‘hatchō miso’ or ‘akadashi miso’.
Sweet shiro miso has a very light brown, almost yellowish colour. This is the sweetest miso. It is also called ‘Saikyo miso’. Don't get confused with brownish miso labelled 'shiro miso' that you can buy at supermarkets. It is not sweet shiro miso. It's as salty as awase miso.
Awase miso is brown and there are so many variations of this kind. The saltiness of this miso is between aka miso and shiro miso but the degree of saltiness varies depending on the brand and the type of miso.
I made all three kinds of dengaku miso in this recipe but you don’t need to do that unless you already have these types of miso in the fridge.
2. My dengaku miso is probably not very sweet. If you have a sweet tooth, you can adjust the sweetness by adding extra sugar.
3. I made two batches of nasu dengaku using different sized eggplants. The first batch was from a large eggplant that weighed 230g. I cut it into discs. The second batch was from two smaller eggplants that weighed about 250g. They were cut vertically in half.
4. The amount of dengaku miso required to cover the surface of the eggplant varies depending on the size and shape of the eggplant pieces. The dengaku miso is quite thick and dense with strong miso and sugar flavours. Do not over use it.
5. Dengaku miso in an air tight container keeps up to 2 months in the fridge.
I just made this for my (Japanese) boyfriend and he loved it. 😀
I reduced sugar by about 30% as I usually don’t eat any sugar but it was still very tasty (and sweet enough for us). He said the taste was very authentic
Thanks a lot for the amazing recipe!
Hi Nadia, excellent! I’m glad both you and your boyfriend like it.
I found your website a couple of weeks ago after coming home from a holiday that included a four day stopover in Tokyo! So happy to find and make this recipe. Thanks Yumiko – your website has so much information in it about Japanese food and culture.
Hi Cathy, thank you very much! I hope you enjoyed the stay in Tokyo. Nasu Dengaku is one of my favourites. Dengaku miso keeps in the fridge for a long time and is very handy to have when needing to add a little dish or for a finger food.
Hello yumiko, today I tried this recipe and it was good enough to be my first time, although it seems that I cooked the dengaku sauce for a long time XD (it was difficult to distribute on top of the aubergine). But I have a question: are these Japanese eggplant?
https://www.google.com.co/search?q=japanese+eggplant&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjuqaDF7ovbAhXBxFkKHQ9QBZAQ_AUICigB&biw=1600&bih=769#imgrc=bpeJ2vceB3MWIM:
That’s what I found in the Chinese vegetable market, so I was wondering if there was any difference between Japanese and Chinese eggplant.
Also, how to choose a good eggplant? I bought some that weighed about 100 grams each. I do not know if they were not mature enough?
Thank you for the recipe!!!!
Hi Ruth, they are not exactly the same as the typical Japanese eggplants. Of those Google images of Japanese eggplants, those which are very dark purple, short and slightly plump (eg. the images from specialty.com, evergreenseeds.com) look like Japanese eggplants.
The eggplants you bought should be ok to cook. When choosing eggplant, find heavy and firm eggplants with no scars or brown patches. Spongy ones are no good. When cut the eggplant, the inside flesh should be clean white, with no black seeds showing. Old eggplants show black seeds. You can still cook eggplants with black seeds (unless there are too many) but they don’t look nice.
Hi Yumiko,
I love your clear and easy to follow instructions – on a frazzled weeknight, being able to quickly follow the steps makes all the difference! In my household, we don’t really keep any alcohols around and I was wondering if you had any non-alcoholic suggestions for replacing the sake and the mirin in this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Allie, it is a bit difficult to replace sake with non-alcohol seasoning. If the amount required is small such as this recipe, you can add water or just omit it. With regard to a substitution for mirin, there us non-alcoholic mirin (https://www.amazon.com/Honteri-Non-alcoholic-Mirin-Sweet-Seasoning/dp/B00IFW3X9A) and if you can purchase it, that would be the best. If not, use water with 1/3 tablespoon of sugar in place of 1 tablespoon mirin.
If the dish requires a large amount of sake, it is unfortunately not possible to substitute with something else.
Thanks! I really appreciate your know-how. I’m going to try this!
No worries. Good luck with Nasu Dengaku!
Konnichiwa, Yumiko-San, I’m glad you have Japanese recipes on your site. I’m hafu but born and raised in Hawai’i. Btw, eggplant is one of my favorite things to eat. I love dishes like Nasu Dengaku and Nasu champuru. I can’t wait to try your recipes! Otsukaresama desu!
Konnichiwa, Jodel-san. I love eggplant, too. When it is cooked, particularly with oil, the flesh melts in your mouth which I like. Please do try my recipes and let me know what you think. Dozo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
Happy New year Yumiko. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi Harry, Happy New Year to you, too!
Happy new year to you, Yumiko! I always learn something new with each of your posts and enjoy your Japanese lessons. This looks like another great recipe to try when I have no idea what to do with eggplants.
Hi Naomi, Happy New Year! Thanks for your positive feedback on my posts. I shall continue with a bit of Japanese history or language lessons in each post!
Thank you for sharing your recipes! They are very thorough and delicious!
Hi Natasha, I am glad you like it. It’s a great vegetarian dish and I love it.