This miso grilled eggplant dish evokes childhood memories of exploring a rocky shoreline. The miso and seaweed bring the salty sea notes and an intense umami flavour, nicely balanced by the nutty quinoa.
Cut the eggplant and red peppers into 2 cm2 pieces (approx)
Sprinkle with salt and allow to stand for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220 degC.
Rinse the eggplant and peppers and allow to drain and dry for a few minutes.
Coat with the olive oil, place on a baking tray, and roast for 20 minutes.
Mix together the miso, sugar, sake, sesame oil, and mirin. Coat the eggplant with this mixture and return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The miso sauce should be starting to caramelize.
Ponzu dressing
In a saucepan, bring all the liquid ingredients to a boil then remove from the heat.
Add the kasuboshi and karengo or wild nori.
Allow to sit for 2 hours.
Strain the sauce, cover and keep in the refrigerator.
Seaweed quinoa salad
Add the quinoa, vegetable stock, and water to a rice cooker or saucepan, cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed. Allow to cool.
Toss together the seaweed and quinoa, and drizzle over the ponzu dressing.
Arrange a layer of seaweed quinoa salad on a plate, add some miso roasted eggplant, and a little more seaweed and ponzu to garnish.