I have never been a huge fan of aubergines before until I was lucky enough to eat at Angela Hartnett’s Restaurant; Murano in Covent Garden, London. I was served THE most delicious roasted aubergine and tomatoes in pesto and olive oil. I can’t remember ever tasting anything like it before! I know it was swimming in oil and probably had a thousand calories in it but I just could not help myself from finishing it! Plus it’s not every day you get to eat food cooked by a Michelin starred chef!
This recipe certainly isn’t going to match up to what I was served that night but it still scores pretty high on the flavour scale, and it’s got very little oil in it so you can be assured you won’t be piling on the pounds! Aubergine is naturally low in fat and calories but it does soak up oil like a sponge, so go easy when you are drizzling…. 😉
Aubergine for me is one of those vegetables which needs to be cooked right for me to enjoy it and the roasting time in the oven and the addition of salty miso, sweet Maple syrup and the crunchy, toasted sesame seeds, ensures the aubergine is transformed into a melting pot of meaty deliciousness!
It’s really easy to prepare and cook so if you haven’t tried roasting aubergines before and have only experienced them in a moussaka, curry or vegetable bake, give this recipe a go and see what you think!
You can sub the dark miso paste for a light miso paste but just keep in mind that the darker the miso, the stronger the flavour so you may need to add a little more if using the light one.
Miso Glazed Aubergine with Spring Onions & Toasted Sesame
Ingredients
- 2 medium aubergines washed, chopped in half length-ways
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Glaze
- 1 TBSP dark miso paste
- 1 TBSP brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp pure Maple syrup or a brown sugar
- 1 lemon - juiced
Topping
- 3 Spring (salad) onions washed, chopped
- 2 TBSP sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Wash the aubergines then slice them in half, length-ways. Use a knife to score the chopped side of the aubergine halves, one-way and then the other so you achieve a criss-cross pattern. Do not score too deeply otherwise they will fall apart whilst cooking. Brush the tops of the aubergine with the oil - or drizzle it and use your fingers to spread evenly. Place them in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for 25 mins until cooked through and soft.
- Whilst the aubergines are roasting, toast the sesame seeds in a pan (without oil) for a few minutes over a medium heat. As soon as you hear the first few seeds start to pop, they are done. They will start to burn shortly after so remove from the heat and set to one-side.
- Prepare the Spring onions by washing a finely chopping.
Glaze
- Simply add all of the glaze ingredients to a small bowl and mix together with a spoon.
- Once the aubergines have cooked, take them out of the oven, brush the tops of the cooked aubergines with the glaze then place them under the grill for around 10 minutes until they start to char and caramelise.
- After they have been under the grill, serve with a scattering of chopped spring onions and toasted sesame seeds with optional green salad leaves or rice.