Sticky Miso Aubergine Recipe

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This Sticky Miso Aubergine is a savory and sweet recipe, which is made with a rich miso glaze and served with coconut rice. It’s a fantastic vegetarian meal, ready in about 30 minutes.

Sticky Miso Aubergine Ingredients

1 large aubergine (400g)
150g basmati rice
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
1 lime
olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chilli jam
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
seasonal salad, to serve

How To Make Sticky Miso Aubergine

Steam the Aubergine: Halve the aubergine lengthwise. Place it skin-side up in a large non-stick casserole pan with about 1cm of boiling water. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
Cook the Coconut Rice: While the aubergine steams, place the rice, desiccated coconut, and a pinch of sea salt in a separate saucepan with 300ml of boiling water. Add half the lime to the pot, then cover and cook over a medium heat for 12 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.
Crisp the Aubergine: Uncover the aubergine and let any excess water cook away. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and let the aubergine start to fry and crisp up for a few minutes.
Make and Apply the Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the miso, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, and chilli jam to make a glaze. Flip the aubergine, drizzle it with the glaze, and let it fry skin-side down on a low heat for 3 minutes to get crispy and sticky.
Serve: Transfer the aubergine to plates, sprinkling the flesh side with the sesame seeds and spooning over any remaining glaze from the pan. Fluff up the coconut rice, discard the cooked lime half, and serve it alongside the aubergine. Serve with a fresh salad and the remaining lime wedges for squeezing.

Recipe Tips

Why steam the aubergine first? This is a clever technique that makes the aubergine incredibly soft and tender on the inside without using a lot of oil. The final step of frying it in the glaze creates the sticky, caramelized exterior.
Can I make this spicier? Absolutely. For more heat, you can increase the amount of chilli jam or add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the glaze.
What kind of miso is best? A white (shiro) or yellow (shinshu) miso works best for this recipe as they are milder and sweeter, which complements the honey and soy sauce beautifully.
How to get fluffy coconut rice? The key is to use the correct ratio of water to rice and not to lift the lid while it’s steaming. Letting it rest off the heat for a few minutes after cooking also helps the grains to separate.

What To Serve With Sticky Miso Aubergine

This dish is a wonderful, complete meal on its own, but it also pairs nicely with:

Steamed green vegetables like bok choy or green beans
A simple cucumber and mint salad
Crispy fried shallots sprinkled on top for extra crunch

How To Store Sticky Miso Aubergine

Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The rice and aubergine should be stored separately if possible.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a non-stick pan over a medium-low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. The rice can be reheated in the microwave.

Sticky Miso Aubergine Nutrition Facts

Calories: 500-600 kcal
Fat: 18g
Carbohydrates: 75g
Protein: 15g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

Can I make this recipe vegan?

Yes. To make this dish fully vegan, simply substitute the runny honey with an equal amount of maple syrup or agave nectar.

Can I bake the aubergine instead of pan-frying?

You can, but the texture will be different. To bake, you would toss the aubergine in oil and roast at 400°F (200°C) for 20-25 minutes until tender, then brush with the glaze and return to the oven for the final 5 minutes. The pan-steam method creates a much softer result.

What if I don’t have rice wine vinegar?

You can substitute it with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar for a similar tangy element in the glaze.

Try More Recipes:

Aubergine Parmigiana Burger Recipe
Aubergine Katsu Curry Recipe
Moreish Aubergine Salad Recipe

Course: DinnerCuisine: Japanese-InspiredDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

600

kcal

Tender, pan-steamed aubergine is finished in a hot pan with a sweet and savory sticky miso glaze, served with fragrant coconut rice.

Ingredients

1 large aubergine
150g basmati rice
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 lime
Olive oil
1 tbsp miso
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp chilli jam
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Steam the halved aubergine in a covered pan with water for 10 minutes until the water evaporates and it sizzles.
Meanwhile, cook the rice with the desiccated coconut and half a lime for 12 minutes.
Add olive oil to the sizzling aubergine and crisp it up.
Make a glaze with the miso, soy, honey, vinegar, and chilli jam.
Drizzle the glaze over the aubergine and let it get sticky for a few minutes.
Serve the aubergine over the coconut rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Serve with a fresh salad and the remaining lime wedges.

Notes

The pan-steam method is a great trick to get the aubergine perfectly tender without using lots of oil.
The coconut rice with a hint of lime is the perfect fragrant accompaniment to the rich aubergine.
This is a very fast recipe, so have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking.
Be sure to use a non-stick pan to prevent the sticky glaze from burning.