Miso Caramel Aubergine Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 🍚White Long-Grain Rice, rinsed well1 cup
• 🥢Miso Paste (white)3 tbsp
• Mirin3 tbsp
• 🥢Soy Sauce1 tbsp
• 🍯Agave Nectar1 tbsp
• 🥢Rice Vinegar1 tbsp
• 🥢Sesame Oil (toasted)2 tbsp
• 🧅Scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated3 stalk
• 🌻Sesame Seeds, toasted1 tbsp
• 🫒Vegetable Oil1 tbsp
• 🧂Sea Salt (fine)to taste
• 💧Wateras needed

Contains Gluten, Onion, Sesame, Soy, Sulphites. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Cut the aubergine

   Slice the Aubergine into chunky bite-size wedges on a cutting board, keeping the pieces fairly even so they brown at the same pace. If a wedge is especially thick, split it once more now rather than waiting for it to stay pale while the rest caramelise.

   5 min
2. 2

   Salt the aubergine

   Toss the Aubergine wedges with the Kosher Salt in a mixing bowl until every cut side is lightly coated. Let them sit for about 10 minutes until the surfaces glisten and tiny beads of moisture appear; if they look dry, give the bowl a few turns so the salt can keep drawing liquid out.

   10 min
3. 3

   Rinse the rice

   Rinse the White Long-Grain Rice under cold water in a fine sieve or bowl, swirling it with your hand until the water turns from cloudy to mostly clear. Drain it well so the grains start the cook separate instead of sticky and heavy.

   3 min
4. 4

   Trim the Scallions.

5. 5

   Slice the whites thinly and the greens a little thicker so the garnish keeps some bite. Keep the two piles separate; if they start to mingle, you will lose the clean layered finish at the end.

   4 min
6. 6

   Combine the White Long-Grain Rice and Water in a medium saucepan.

7. 7

   Set it over high heat until the liquid comes up to a lively boil. Drop the heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for about 12 minutes until the surface looks calm, the water is absorbed, and the grains sound faintly crackly when you lift the lid; if it starts sputtering hard, the heat is too high.

   12 min
8. 8

   Mix the glaze

   Whisk the Miso Paste (white), Mirin, Soy Sauce, Agave Nectar, Rice Vinegar, and Water in a mixing bowl until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Keep whisking for about 30 seconds until the miso loosens into a pourable sauce with no pale streaks; if it still looks lumpy, press the paste against the bowl with the back of the spoon until it dissolves.

   1 min
9. 9

   Set a large skillet over medium-high heat with the Vegetable Oil and Sesame Oil (toasted).

10. 10

    Spread the Aubergine wedges into a single layer. Leave them alone for about 4 minutes until the undersides turn deep golden and smell nutty.

    7 min
11. 11

    Turn them and brown the other sides for another 3 minutes; if they stick, give them a little longer before nudging so the crust can release cleanly.

12. 12

    Add the scallion whites

    Push the aubergine to the sides of the skillet and add the Scallion whites into the open space, stirring them through the hot oil for about 60 seconds. Keep them moving until they soften at the edges and smell sweet and oniony, but stop before they colour deeply; if they start to scorch, lower the heat and stir more often.

    1 min
13. 13

    Glaze the aubergine

    Pour the miso mixture into the skillet and stir gently to coat every wedge, scraping up any browned bits from the base as you go. Let it simmer for about 3 minutes until the sauce turns thick, sticky, and lacquer-like, clinging to the aubergine instead of running off; if it looks watery, keep simmering until the bubbles slow and the spoon leaves a brief trail.

    3 min
14. 14

    Rest the rice

    Take the saucepan off the heat and leave the lid on for about 5 minutes so the steam can finish the grains evenly. The rice should look plump and separate when you fluff it; if the centre still seems tight, give it another minute under the lid rather than stirring hard and crushing the grains.

    5 min
15. 15

    Divide the rice between two bowls.

16. 16

    Spoon the sticky aubergine and its glaze over the top so the sauce drips into the grains. Finish with the Scallion greens and Sesame Seeds, scattering them evenly so you get bright crunch in every forkful; if one bowl looks spare, move a few wedges across before serving.

    3 min

Nutrition per serving