Miso Aubergine with Pickled Cucumber & Rice

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 320 g steamed rice
• 2 large aubergines, halved lengthways
• 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• miso soup, to serve
• kimchi or Japanese pickles (tsukemono), to serve
• edamame, lightly salted, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Score the cut side of the aubergines in a deep crosshatch about a centimetre apart — the cuts open up as they roast and let the glaze drive right down into the flesh. Sit them cut-side up on a lined tray and season the cut faces with a small pinch of salt; aubergine is bland on its own and needs that base layer before the glaze goes near it.
2. Whisk the miso, mirin, soy sauce and honey together until smooth and pourable. Spoon half the glaze generously over the cut surfaces, working it down into the scored flesh with the back of the spoon. Hold the rest back — it becomes your sauce later.
3. Roast for 20–25 minutes until the aubergines are completely tender to the tip of a knife and the glaze is bubbling, sticky and darkened at the edges. You want some near-burnt patches at the corners — that's where the flavour lives.
4. While the aubergines roast, toss the cucumber slices with the rice vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Leave for at least 10 minutes, turning once, until the slices have softened and turned glassy. Taste one — it should be sharp, sweet and just salty enough to make you reach for another.
5. In the last few minutes, warm the reserved glaze in a small pan over a low heat with a splash of water, swirling for 30–60 seconds until it loosens into a glossy spoon-over sauce. Don't let it tighten back to a paste — you want it to pour, not cling. Taste it now: most of the salt comes from the miso and soy, but a final pinch of sugar or splash of water ties it together if it's pushing too savoury.
6. Warm the steamed rice and toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for a minute until they smell nutty and start to pop.
7. Divide the rice between four bowls. Lay an aubergine half on each, spoon the warm glaze over the top so it pools into the scored flesh, pile the pickled cucumber alongside, and scatter with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve with a bowl of miso soup, a small heap of kimchi or tsukemono, and the salted edamame to pick at while you eat.