Spicy miso eggplant.

SERVES 4

When I see a freshly picked eggplant, this dish always springs to mind. My grandma used to cook it for lunch when I came home from school on Saturdays in summer, always using vegetables fresh from her garden.

It’s nice to be able to share this dish with you – my grandma will be happy too. This is a great side dish to accompany meat or fish. 400g eggplant, cut into 5cm wedges

125ml olive oil

100g green capsicum, sliced into thin strips 100ml Sweet Chilli Miso Sauce

Toasted white sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)

SWEET CHILLI MISO SAUCE MAKES 250ML

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried chilli flakes 150g red miso

3 tbsp mirin

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp sake

Soak the eggplant in salted water for 10–15 minutes*. Drain well.

To make the chilli sauce, heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chilli flakes. Stir well for a couple of minutes to infuse the chilli, then turn off the heat. In a small bowl, combine with remaining ingredients and mix well.

For the eggplant, heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, stir well and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the capsicum, stir well and fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sweet chilli miso sauce, then turn off the heat.

Transfer everything to a serving plate and sprinkle over the sesame seeds, if using. * Soaking eggplant in salted water (1 pinch of salt to 1 litre of water) for 10-15 minutes before cooking helps eliminate its harshness and improves its flavour. We call it aku-tori – ‘aku’ means harshness or coarseness, and ‘tori’ means to take away or get rid of.