Eggplant Soup with Miso and Chili
With its distinctive smoky flavor, the miso in the background and the slightest chili kick, this eggplant soup is a perfect way to celebrate the return of good eggplant to your local market. Plus it is a pretty simple recipe and an easy way to show off!
Ingredients
- 300 grams onion finely diced, approx. 2 medium onions
- 1 tablespoon ginger peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic
- 2 medium eggplant about 500 grams (1 lb) each, peeled, cut into large chunks
- 2 red birds eye chillis
- 125 milliliters vegetable oil
- 60 milliliters mirin
- 1 liter chicken stock if using store bought stock, use a low salt variety.
- 500 milliliters water
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons red miso paste
- sesame oil
Instructions
- Cut chillies in half and rinse out seeds and membrane under running water. Chop chilly skins finely.
- In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat the vegetable oil on high heat.
- Sauté the onion until translucent, stirring regularly, (about 4 minutes).
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 1 minute.
- Add the eggplant and continue to cook, stirring continuously until the pot is dry and the eggplant starting to colour and soften.
- Deglaze the pot with the mirin.
- Add the stock and water.
- Stir in the brown sugar and miso paste.
- Bring to the boil; reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 2 hours.
- Remove from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly.
- Transfer to a food processor or use a hand held stick blender, process the soup until smooth.
- Return to heat to warm up.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust as required. More miso may be added if desired.
- Garnish each serving of soup with a small drizzle of sesame oil, no more than ¼ tsp will be required.
Notes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!