Baked eggplant with white miso

served 4

65 ml mirin
50ml sake150g white miso paste
75g sugar
8 japanese eggplants

Preheat the oven to 180C
Bring the mirin and sake to a simmer and cook for 1 min to burn off the alcohol from the sake. Turn down the heat and add the miso paste. whisk to dissolve, then add the sugar. cook brieftly , stirring, until the sugar had dissolved. removed from the heat and allow to cool

Meanwhile, slie the eggplants lengthways. over a moderate hear, pan-fly the eggplant halves in a little oil unitl golden. transfer to an over tray and arrange snugly, cut side up. backe in the oven until cooked through (about 5 min) remove from the oven and evenly spread 1 tbsp of the cooled miso mixture on top of each piece. place under a salamander or grill and cook until the eggplant starts to blister and caramelise. serve immediately