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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Miso Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) with Black Garlic

    Sep 18, 2022 • Author: Joyce Lee • 28 Comments • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    4.88 from 8 votes

    A quick and easy-to-make oven-roasted Japanese Miso Glazed Eggplant (nasu dengaku) brushed with sweet and savory miso glaze, packed with umami flavors from the black garlic!

    Japanese miso eggplant being fanned out on a wooden plate.
    Table of Contents
    • What is Nasu Dengaku?
    • Ingredients for Japanese Miso Eggplant
    • How to Make Japanese Miso Glazed Eggplant
    • Oven Roasting the Eggplant
    • Tips
    • What to Serve with Nasu Dengaku
    • FAQs
    • More Asian Side Dishes You May Like
    • Recipe Card

    What is Nasu Dengaku?

    Nasu dengaku is a Japanese eggplant dish made with Asian eggplant brushed with a sweet and savory glaze made with miso, mirin, and sugar.

    My version of nasu dengaku, doesn't use sugar but uses black garlic as a sweetener instead, the black garlic also adds umami flavor as well so it's a win-win!

    Asian eggplant, when made right can be creamy, slightly sweet, and absolutely delicious! Especially when it has a chance to be roasted and caramelized in the oven and smeared with an umami-packed black garlic miso glaze!

    It is also an incredibly easy vegetable to cook with too! Don't believe me? Give this Miso Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) recipe a try and see!

    Ingredients for Japanese Miso Eggplant

    For this glazed Black Garlic Miso Eggplant (nasu dengaku) recipe, you should be able to find the eggplant and miso at your local grocery stores. For the rest of the harder-to-find ingredients (Mirin, cooking sake, and black garlic) it would also be available at an Asian grocery store or specialty grocery store.

    Japansese miso eggplant ingredients (miso, eggplant, black garlic, mirin)
    • Eggplant - For this recipe, I highly recommend using Chinese Eggplant because it is creamier and has a sweeter flavor. I find that Italian Eggplants have a bitterness to them (which you can remove by drawing out the moisture by sprinkling salt on it and washing it off) but the end result is still is not as sweet as the Chinese/Indian Eggplants.
    • Miso - I like using red miso (Aka miso) recipe because I enjoy the stronger flavors of miso. You can switch up your miso to a lighter one (white or yellow) if you prefer a milder glaze.
    • Black Garlic - Black garlic is a bit trickier to find. It can be found at specialty grocery stores but if you cannot find it in stores, you can find it online on Amazon as well.
    • Cooking Sake - Cooking sake is slightly saltier and has less alcohol content than regular drinking sake. If you can't find this, you can substitute it with regular sake, dry sherry or omit it.
    • Mirin - Mirin is similar to sake but is sweeter and has a lower alcohol content. If you cannot find mirin, you can mix 1 teaspoon of sugar with 2 tablespoons of dry sherry, sake or water and use that instead.
    • Furikake - Sprinkle on some homemade furikake seasoning for some extra umami and flavor

    How to Make Japanese Miso Glazed Eggplant

    To maximize the surface area on the eggplant, so that we can get the extra glaze on it I like to make slices on the eggplant lengthwise. I don't slice it all the way and keep the stem intact so that it keeps the eggplant together. This makes it easier to flip when it is browning in the oven.
    Eggplant being sliced lengthwise, 1 inch thick on a cutting board

    It is a completely optional step, so if you don't feel like making multiple slits like the photos below, you can cut the eggplant lengthwise all the way through the step into 2 pieces as well.

    Eggplant that has been cut lengthwise and fanned out on a cutting board

    Oven Roasting the Eggplant

    To cook the eggplant all the way through quickly, I oven-roast the eggplant under the broil setting.

    Since the oven gets to about 500f, I recommend lining your baking sheets with tin foil and not parchment, since parchment may catch on fire and burn.

    Once the eggplant gets soft, I brush on the glaze and broil it for 2 minutes t cook it through.

    Eggplant brushed with Black garlic miso after it has roasted in the oven.

    Tips

    • If you have extra glaze - don't throw it out! Use it to glaze your grilled meats while you are BBQing them!

    What to Serve with Nasu Dengaku

    You can have this miso eggplant as a vegetable side dish, or a main dish. If you are having it as a main dish, here are a few examples of what you can enjoy it with!

    • Noodle dishes - this pairs well with any type of noodle dish. Although the more flavorful and saucy the noodles, the more you will miss out on the black garlic miso glaze. Try it with our Garlic Noodles recipe which also has a bit of black garlic in it!
    • Rice dishes - I personally like this with plain white rice. If I am feeling fancy, I'll make it a simple Egg Fried Rice, which is very simple so it doesn't cover up the flavors of this dish!
    • Tofu - Sometimes I like to buy some firm tofu, and pan-fry it until it has browned and is slightly crispy! Then I'll drizzle a bit of sweet soy and green onions over it and have this with the Miso eggplant!

    FAQs

    What is miso glaze made of?

    It is made with miso, mirin, and sugar, but for this recipe I use black garlic in place of the sugar.

    What type of miso should I use for Japanese miso eggplant?

    If you are not accustomed to miso, you should try to use white or yellow miso because has a milder and sweeter flavor. I like to use red miso for this recipe because I like saltier and stronger flavors.

    Can I substitute regular eggplant for Japanese eggplant?

    For this recipe, Asian eggplants work best because it is sweeter and creamier. If you want to substitute it with regular eggplant, you need to salt it for 30 minutes to draw out the bitterness and rinse out the bitter juice before using it.

    More Asian Side Dishes You May Like

    • Honey Miso Garlic Roasted Potatoes
    • Sweet Ginger Soy Fried Cabbage
    • Honey Glazed Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts
    • Black Garlic Shirataki Noodles with King Oyster Mushrooms
    Miso eggplant fanned out on a wooden plate being served with sesame seeds and green onions

    If you made this Japanese miso eggplant recipe, I want to see! Follow Pups with Chopsticks on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @pupswithchopsticks and #pupswithchopsticks. I love to know what you are making!

    Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of my latest recipes!

    Recipe Card

    Black Garlic Glazed Miso Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku)

    A quick and easy-to-make oven-roasted Japanese Miso Glazed Eggplant (nasu dengaku) brushed with sweet and savory miso glaze, packed with umami flavors from the black garlic!
    Print Pin Email Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Side, Snack
    Cuisine: Japanese
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    4 Servings
    4.88 from 8 votes
    Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

    Recipe Notes

    • Make sure you use foil to line the pan and not parchment paper. On the broil setting, parchment can catch on fire or burn. 
    • If you have extra glaze - save it and try using it on grilled meats or mix it into some stir-fried noodles!
    • For this recipe, I highly recommend using Chinese Eggplant or Indian Eggplant because it has a sweeter flavor to it. I find that Italian Eggplants have a bitterness to them (which you can remove by drawing out the moisture by sprinkling salt on it and washing it off) but the end result is still not as sweet as the Asian eggplants.
    • I like using red miso for this recipe because I enjoy the stronger flavors of miso but you can definitely use the lighter misos (white or yellow) if you prefer a milder glaze.
    • If you can't find cooking sake, you can substitute it with regular sake, dry sherry or omit it.
    • If you cannot find mirin, you can mix 1 teaspoon of sugar with 2 tablespoons of dry sherry, sake or water and use that instead.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 6 Chinese eggplants
    • oil (for brushing onto the eggplant)

    Black Garlic Miso Glaze

    • 7 tablespoons water
    • 2 tablespoons black garlic
    • 1 tablespoon miso (preferably red miso)
    • 2 tablespoons cooking sake (can substitute with regular sake, or dry sherry)
    • 1 tablespoon mirin

    Toppings & Garnishes

    • green onions (finely chopped)
    • toasted sesame seeds

    Instructions
     

    Making the Black Garlic Miso

    • In a food processor put in the black garlic, water, mirin, sake and miso, and blitz it until it is smooth. (If you prefer a thinner glaze, add 1 more tablespoon of water)
    • Set the glaze aside for later.

    Cutting the Eggplant

    • Make lengthwise cuts running down the eggplant, ½ inch apart. I found it easiest to use a paring knife or a small knife to make these cuts. Alternatively, If you don't want to make multiple slits, you can just cut the eggplants in half, lengthwise.
    • Lightly oil the skin and between the slits and run your fingers through it so the oil is spread to a thin layer all over the eggplant.

    Oven Roasting the Miso Eggplant

    • Line your cookie sheet with foil and fan out the eggplant. Some may not like to fan out easily, don’t worry when it starts to soften up it will be easier to fan out.
    • Set your oven to broil and put the eggplant in the oven.. (Make sure you don't leave the stove and watch it like a hawk because it can burn very quickly.)
    • Flip the eggplant every 2 minutes, 2-3 times. (Approximately 4-6 minutes a side)
    • When the eggplant looks brown and roasted, brush on the glaze and put it back in the broiler for 2 minutes.
    • Top it with some sesame seeds and green onions and enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 196mg | Sugar: 6g

    *Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

    Did you try this recipe?I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how it was and consider giving it a rating! Tag me on Instagram with @pupswithchopsticks to show me!

    Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites at no cost to you, however, these links are provided to make items easier if you cannot purchase this locally. Always try to buy your items locally if possible to support your local shops (chances are they are cheaper locally as well too!)

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      Easy Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles Stir Fry)
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      Kani Salad Recipe (Japanese Crab Salad)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa @ Th Valley Vegan says

      April 11, 2018 at 7:11 pm

      Um...parchment caught on fire in the broiler. Try tin foil instead. Otherwise, delicious & easy

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        April 11, 2018 at 7:22 pm

        Oh no! That's terrible! I hope you (and your stove) are okay? That would have gave me quite a scare! Thanks for the heads up on your experience - I'll definitely update the recipe. 🙂 and I'm happy you liked it Lisa! 🙂

        Reply
        • Lisa @ The Valley Vegan says

          April 11, 2018 at 8:49 pm

          The eggplant was creamy & the miso was delicious, so no harm no foul! I just couldn't figure out what was burning! LOL! I changed pans and continued on with the cooking no problem. I wonder if I had the rack too close to the flame (I am using a gas oven) -- so probably 50% my fault! Seriously delicious, though, and so easy.

          Reply
          • Joyce says

            April 11, 2018 at 9:22 pm

            Phew! I'm glad you're okay (and of course your stove too haha) but definitely better safe than sorry - so happy you let me know! 🙂 This is definitely my fave way to eat eggplant too - I was surprised how creamy it turned out too! 🙂

            Reply
    2. Rebecca Hubbell says

      January 11, 2018 at 5:31 pm

      5 stars
      Eggplant never looked (or tasted) so good, such a perfect balance of flavors!

      Reply
    3. Rebecca Hubbell says

      January 11, 2018 at 5:31 pm

      5 stars
      Eggplant never looked (or tasted) so good, such a perfect balance of flavors!

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        January 19, 2018 at 1:58 pm

        Thank you, you're too kind!

        Reply
    4. Julie says

      January 11, 2018 at 5:14 pm

      I have a honey glazed eggplant on my blog which is one of my all-time favorite recipes -- I love love love this version with black garlic and miso. I bet the eggplant is the same stewy soft texture, but I love the savory glaze instead of sweet. Can't wait to try this!

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        January 19, 2018 at 1:56 pm

        Oooh! I love sweet glazes especially on eggplant!! :O You have piqued my interest! haha 🙂

        Reply
    5. Lisa Huff says

      January 11, 2018 at 4:32 pm

      5 stars
      You're inspiring me to give eggplant another try! Not a favorite as a kid but this looks great and super intriguing!

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        January 19, 2018 at 1:54 pm

        I am finding my taste buds are changing too as I get older and am open to a lot more new flavours 🙂 Definitely give this another try! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Sharon Glascoe says

      January 11, 2018 at 4:28 pm

      You are so right-when roasted eggplant is so good. I can't wait to try it with your Miso Glaze.

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        January 19, 2018 at 1:57 pm

        A good roasting with eggplant is definitely key in making it soft and creamy right? 🙂 I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Jessica Levinson says

      January 11, 2018 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      Love eggplant! This looks so delicious! Can't wait to try it!

      Reply
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