- 6 small eggplants sliced in half lengthwise
- 2-3 tbl of white miso
- 1 tbl tamari, soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- 1-2 tsp honey or other sweetener of choice
- juice of 1 lemon, divided in half
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1-2 tsp chopped parsley or other herb
hey there, i’m sharon from thyme to cook, a personal chef service in the boston area. i’m a 40 something personal chef, fitness instructor and health educator in vegan/raw and living foods. in my former life i was a biologist, with my master’s in science, working in the biotech/pharmaceutical domain for 15 years. 5 years ago i started thyme to cook and haven’t looked back. i’m passionate about food and fitness and i’m grateful that i can put the 2 together on a daily basis. you can also find me at my blogs, thyme to cook and rawk out.
this past week from my csa i got a nice haul of eggplants….i actually got eggplants from both of my csa’s) from the newton farm, i got a variety known as the oriental type. they are smallish in size about 3 inches long, with light purple and white skin.
now when i think eggplant, i think umami. umami is one of the five tastes with the others being salty, sweet, bitter, and sour. it can be thought of as the savory taste. chemically, umami actually is the “taste” of the amino acid glutamate in it’s salt form, and it’s often referred to as earthy or meaty tasting.
some common foods with umami are mushrooms, spinach, red wine, oysters and aged foods like parmesan cheese and thai fish sauce.
eggplant itself doesn’t have umami, but it pairs well to foods that do have it, such as miso…..miso is a fermented paste made most typically from soybeans but can also be made from barley, chickpeas and other beans such as azuki. it is high in protein, vitamins and minerals and has a sweet, salty and earthy flavor. i love to use miso in dressings for salad, stir fries and soups.
here, i use miso in a glaze for the grilled eggplant.
after cutting the eggplant in half, i put them on the grill, at a medium-high temperature and grilled them, turning once after about 3-4 minutes.
after the first flip, i started coating the eggplant in the miso glaze. i let the other side cook and flipped them again, coating the eggplant again in the glaze. i repeated this for a few more flips, for a few more minutes, until the eggplant was tender and the glistening with the miso glaze.
i gave the eggplant a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a bit of chopped tarragon to finish. they were succulent and full of earthy, salty flavor from the miso.
the best part about this recipe is that it’s so easy….here it is 
- prepare your grill to a medium-high temperature.
- get your miso glaze ready by adding the miso, tamari, honey and half of the lemon juice to a small bowl and whisking until combined.
- give your eggplant a light coating of olive oil and then place on the grill, grilling on one side for 3-4 minutes.
- flip your eggplant and brush with the miso glaze. allow the eggplant to cook on the second side for another 2-3 minutes.
- flip again and brush with the glaze, and cook for another minute or 2. repeat the flip and glaze a couple more times until the eggplant is cooked through and the glaze is caramelized.
- remove eggplant from the grill and sprinkle them with the remaining lemon juice, sesame seeds and chopped herbs.
this dish would be great with a sparkling wine such as a nice, crisp prosecco.
enjoy!
