Quick Japanese aubergines, aka Nasu Dengaku

I’ve recently been diagnosed with nearly-diabetes, and naturally, I am very keen to try to reverse that. It seems the best approach is near-starvation for a couple of months, a bit extreme. Because I’m travelling it’s also not very practical, but what I can do is to massively cut down on anything too outrageously starchy: that means that white rice, white bread, non-wholemeal pasta…. and my favourite potatoes are all off the menu.

Ah, potatoes! The ultimate comfort food…. there’s a whole post on the healing powers of mash on Saucy Dressings (follow this link). And the helpful potato even produces a sort of instant, pre-packaged version in the form of the jacket potato – simply slit, bake, add butter, salt and pepper, et voilà!

But did you know that the aubergine is just as accommodating? Criss-cross slits, drizzle in olive oil, bake, add a seasoning, et voilà again! The aubergine too is conveniently pre-packaged, also in its own skin.

In this recipe, however, the seasoning is a little bit special because, unlike the baked potato which remains enclosed in its skin, the aubergine has a surface exposed, so the seasoning and sauce takes the form of a golden Japanese-inspired glaze. Sounds gorgeous… it is. Sounds a bit fiddly and exotic…it isn’t – it’s just a mix of mirin (or sherry or vermouth), miso (or soy…. or just salt), and honey.

Serve each person with a glazed aubergine half, still in its skin, for them to gauge out with their knife and fork… goes really well with labneh. In fact, white fish fillets cooked with onion, garlic, parsley and dry martini, go brilliantly with roasted baby tomatoes and these Japanese aubergines.

Here’s what to do.

For more on different types of aubergine, follow this link.

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