Nasu Dengaku

It turns out that this delicious Japanese treat is simple as all hell to make. I'm not such a fan of the deep frying, so rather than cooking eggplant in that way, I simply halved them, brushed them with a little oil (rice bran oil, to be exact) and baked them at 200c until they were melting to pieces, half an hour or so (although this will depend on the size of the eggplant).

To make the miso topping stuff, Take a cup of dashi broth, a couple big tablespoons of white miso paste, good splash of Mirin, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of cornflour, and simmer the mixed ingredients until they are thickening.

Top the melty eggplant with the sauce, and return to the oven for a few minutes to crisp up. Crank the heat as high as possible for this portion of the cooking. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top to serve. You should be able to 'cut' them with chopsticks, if they are cooked enough.