Japanese-style eggplant with miso paste

Japanese-style eggplant with miso paste is enjoyed as a side dish with drinks or rice.

Marta Dymek: This dish is called Nasi Dengaku in Japanese and means eggplant with a sweet glaze made from miso paste. It is served in Japanese Izakaya bars.

Nutrient profile: According to GDA guidelines, one portion of this recipe covers more than 25% of the daily requirement of copper, manganese and omega-3 fatty acids. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 4:1, within the recommended maximum ratio of 5:1.
You can find more information behind this motivation at the following link: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.

Eggplant: There are several types that differ in shape and color. The most common varieties sold in Europe and North America are elongated and have a dark purple color. The raw fruit has a slightly bitter taste with a somewhat astringent quality. When cooked, however, it acquires a tender consistency and develops a rich and complex flavor.

Sesame: Sesame is an annual, herbaceous plant species. Originally native to certain parts of India and Africa, this cultivated and oil plant is now grown in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The sesame cultivated there comes from wild plants from South Asia, which have been archaeologically documented as far back as the third millennium BC. The seeds, oil and roots of sesame can be used for therapeutic and culinary purposes. Depending on the variety, the fruit capsules contain black, brown or white seeds, with black sesame seeds being considered to have a more aromatic taste than white sesame seeds. The high calcium and selenium content of sesame seeds is particularly noteworthy.

Miso: Miso is a Japanese paste made mainly from soybeans with varying amounts of rice, barley or other grains. Miso is a natural flavor enhancer that tastes like fermented beans and can range from spicy to sweet.

Marta Dymek: It's a good idea to make twice as much sauce and then store it in the fridge - it tastes great with tofu, zucchini, pumpkin, sweet potatoes or other vegetables.

Frying oil: We chose refined rapeseed oil as our frying oil. Rapeseed oil has a high proportion of essential fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids.

Salt: We have deliberately halved the amount of salt, as miso itself contains a lot of salt. The aim is to keep the salt content as low as possible without compromising on taste. As salt requirements vary from person to person, it is best for you to decide for yourself. We would like to recommend the book " Salt, Sugar, Fat " as an interesting read on this topic.

Marta Dymek: Originally, Japanese mirin wine was used for the miso glaze. If you have it on hand, use it instead of port or sweet wine and add a little less sugar.