Miso-glazed eggplant with rice and edamame
Japanese nasu dengaku: roasted eggplant so tender it’s almost custardy, lacquered with a sweet, salty miso glaze under the broiler.
- 45 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $2.81 a serving
- 700 calories
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 eggplant, large
- 3 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Each serving has about 700 calories, 21 g protein, 112 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $2.81 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the rice and bring it with the water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn to low and cook 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the eggplant . Score the cut sides in a crisscross pattern about ½ inch deep, without cutting through the skin.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Dolly’s tip: The cuts let the heat and the glaze get deep into the flesh.Brush the cut sides generously with the oil, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and cut side up on a until very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Timer: 22 min
Meanwhile, stir together the miso, mirin, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar until smooth.
the edamame in a small pot of water for 4 minutes, and sprinkle with the rest of the salt.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 4 min
Turn the oven to . Spread the miso over the eggplant and broil until bubbling and dark in spots, 2 to 4 minutes.
Broil. Broiling means cooking under the oven’s top heating element, with strong heat from above. It browns and crisps the top in minutes, and it can burn fast, so stay close.
How you’ll know: The top bubbles and spots golden brown; check every minute and pull it before it blackens.
Glaze. A glaze is a thin, glossy coating, often sweet, brushed or spooned over food near the end. It adds shine and flavor, and because it has sugar, it can burn quickly.
How you’ll know: The food looks shiny and evenly coated, sticky at the edges but not blackened.
Timer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: Stay right by the oven. Miso goes from caramelized to burnt in under a minute.Scatter with sesame seeds and green onions and serve with the rice and edamame.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
