Miso Eggplant Gratin
By: Yuna Wu
Published: Sunday, December 6, 2009 - 2:58am

Ingredients




1 eggplant
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup soft tofu
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup milk (room temperature)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon granulated chicken stock powder
1 tablespoon heavy cream
4 tablespoons miso

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 450 F. 2 Cut the eggplant into bite size pieces and soak in water for 5 minutes. 3 Drain and pat dry. 4 Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. 5 Add the eggplant pieces and brown on both sides. 6 Season with garlic, salt and pepper and hold. 7 To make the miso-tofu sauce, drain the tofu in a seive. 8 Sift together flour and cornstarch in a microwavable bowl. 9 Slowly add milk to the flour mixture. 10 Microwave on medium for 2 1/2 minutes. 11 Whisk the mixture to a smooth paste. 12 Add butter, stock powder, and heavy cream and mix thoroughly. 13 While the mixture is still hot, stir in miso and crumble the tofu into the sauce.  Mix till you have a thick paste-like consistency. 14 Pour half of the tofu-miso sauce into a casserole dish, cover with cooked eggplant and sprinkle half of the cheese on top. 15 Pour the remaining sauce into the dish and top with the remaining cheese. 16 Bake for 20 minutes until the gratin is bubbling and golden brown in color. 17 Serve with rice.

About


This dish tastes incredibly rich and creamy without the aid of much fat or cream at all.  A great way to indulge without paying the consequences!
Adapted from Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking
Photo by avlxyz: http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/4864999887/