serves
6-8
prep
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
6-8
people
preparation
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 6 medium eggplants
- 250 g good quality red miso
- 30 ml organic brown rice vinegar (see Note)
- 30 g caster sugar, plus 2 teaspoons extra, for sprinkling
- 4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
- baby herbs (micro shiso), to serve
Standing time 30 minutes
Instructions
Prick the eggplants all over with a skewer, about 30 times. Wrap each eggplant tightly in foil and place directly on the flame of a gas barbecue or stove. We do ours directly on charcoal. Cook the eggplant, turning occasionally or until soft and blackened all over. Place the blackened eggplants in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and stand for 30 minutes. This allows the eggplant to steam all the way through.
Scrape the flesh into a bowl - don’t worry if a little of the blackened skin remains. Add the miso, vinegar, shallots and 30 g of sugar and use your hands to combine. I like to leave the mix chunky. If you use a spoon it will break-down the eggplant too much. Place the eggplant in a heatproof dish, sprinkle with remaining sugar and place under a salamander for 1-2 minutes.
Garnish with micro herbs and serve with rice crackers.
Note
• I prefer to use Spiral brand vinegar.
Photography, styling and food preparation by china squirrel. Recipe courtesy of Nic Wong of Cho Cho San, Sydney.
Tune into the SBS 2 Broadcast of Tropfest at 8:30pm on Sunday December 7.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
