Bento favourite: miso recipes

These are some of my favourite recipes with miso, perfect for a tasty umami-rich addition to your bento box.

Miso-roasted eggplant (nasu dengaku)

What you need (4 servings):

2 large eggplants, cut into 2cm cubes

40 ml vegetable oil

sea salt, to taste

2 spring onions, thinly sliced, to serve

toasted white and black sesame seeds, to serve     

        

Miso dressing:

4 tbsp white or red miso

1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar

40 ml mirin

20 ml sake

40 ml water

Heat the oven to 200ºC (fan oven). Toss the eggplant in the vegetable oil and season with a little salt. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is slightly browned.

Meanwhile, mix together the miso dressing ingredients. Pour over the roasted eggplant, tossing it on the tray to coat well. Continue to roast for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the miso sauce starts to caramelise.

Remove the eggplant from the oven. Serve with spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Original recipe

Negi miso

What you need: 

1 finely chopped leek

1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup (120ml or 150g) smooth miso paste

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp mirin

1/2 cup (120ml) vegan kombu dashi (or 1/2 cup water with 1/2 tsp. of vegan dashi stock granules)

Sauté the leek in the oil over medium heat until limp and translucent.

In the meantime, combine the miso, sugar, mirin and dashi stock in a bowl. Add the mixture to the pan. Stir and cook until the sauce is glossy and thick. Take off the heat and let cool.

Alternatively, continue stirring and cooking this down until it forms a stiff paste to use as an onigiri filling, or cook it down for a longer time until it turns quite dry. Be careful not to let it burn.

Original recipe

Miso chicken

What you need (2-3 servings):

1 package (200g) vegan chicken pieces

2 tbsp miso

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the chicken pieces until browned.

Meanwhile, mix together the miso, mirin and soy sauce in a small bowl. 

Pour the sauce into the pan and stir until all the pieces are coated in the sauce and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Serve with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Adapted from a recipe in 'Yum-Yum Bento Box' by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa