Eggplant Salad with Miso

Makes: 4 servings

Time: About 30 minutes

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The typical way to prepare this traditional Japanese salad is to boil the eggplant, and I give directions for doing it that way. But if you have the time and energy, sauté the cubes in a little good-quality vegetable oil, as in Ratatouille Salad (page 66). And grilled eggplant slices (see page 166) are especially delicious. All of these cooking methods work well with the dressing in the main recipe and the variations.

• 1 eggplant (about 1 pound)
• Salt
• ⅓ cup white or other miso, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• Cayenne
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Trim the eggplant (no need to peel) and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Boil the eggplant until tender but not falling apart, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and leave it in the colander to cool. (You can refrigerate the eggplant, covered, for up to 24 hours at this point. Bring it back to room temperature before proceeding.)
2. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels. Whisk together the miso, oil, soy sauce, mirin, and vinegar in a large bowl. Thin with a tablespoon water if necessary.
3. Add the eggplant to the dressing, sprinkle with just a little salt and a pinch cayenne, then toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Top with the walnuts and serve.

Eggplant Salad with Miso and Tofu All you need for dinner: In Step 3, add 1 pound cubed Baked Tofu (page 485) or Tofu Croutons (page 497). Increase the dressing ingredients to ½ cup miso, ¼ cup oil, and 2 tablespoons each soy sauce, mirin, and vinegar.

Eggplant Salad with Soy Vinaigrette What to do if you don’t have miso: Omit the miso, oil, soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, and cayenne. Make either the main recipe or the tofu variation, but instead of the miso dressing, use ½ cup Soy Vinaigrette (page 631). Garnish with 1 tablespoon sesame seeds instead of the walnuts, if you like.