Miso Baked Eggplant with Red Radishes
Serves: 4
Time: 40 minutes
Eggplant is a versatile vegetable, it can be used in so many different cuisines, but it does require a little bit of baking time. If you don’t let the eggplant cookout properly the result is not so yummy so it is a good habit to check your eggplant is well cooked before you serve it. I can eat the whole eggplant to myself. white sticky rice would go brilliantly with this dish but keeping with a slightly healthier option today we are using brown rice and loading it with some greens.
Save Time
Did you cook your rice ahead of time? Then just give it a light heat in the microwave to soften back up.
Leftovers
I have allowed for 1 eggplant each, they are very tasty but also very rich so this might be a little too much, but that just means more for leftovers.
What you'll need
4 large eggplants
1 cup of brown
3 tablespoons white miso paste
3 tablespoons mirin or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine or sake or sherry
a couple of handfuls of baby spinach
1 bunch of radishes
1 small packet of micro radishes
From the Pantry
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
salt and pepper
Miso Soup
If it's a cold night a little bowl of miso soup is a cute idea to accompany dinner if you have paste leftover, just add boiling water.
Prep
Preheat Oven to 180
Cook Rice
Place the rice in a large pot with 6 cups of water and a big pinch of salt. Pop a lid on and bring up to the boil, continue to boil for 20 minutes or until a soft nutty texture.
Strain and cover with a lid to steam.
Bake Eggplant
Cut eggplants in half then score the flesh in criss cross lines and sprinkle with salt.
Combine the miso, mirin, ginger, honey, cooking wine and sesame oil in a small pot and bring up to the boil. Remove from heat.
Generously oil the eggplants, then baste the tops heavily with the miso mix and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Leave enough of the baste for another glazing.
Baste Eggplant
After 15 minutes of baking take the eggplant out of the oven and baste the eggplant again with the remainder of your glaze and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Prep Veg
Cut radishes up into matchsticks and pop into a bowl of cold water to soak.
Shred spinach.
Slice spring onions for the garnish.
Plate it Pretty
Toss the spinach and the radishes through the rice with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Scatter the rice across the base of a large serving platter or individual bowls.
Over the top of the rice scatter 3/4 of the micro red radishes.
Place the eggplant over the top, then sprinkle generously with sesame seeds, the spring onions and a couple of micro radish tips for garnish.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
The lunch leftovers are exactly the same as dinner. There should be enough for a whole eggplant each for lunch.