You can reuse this pickling medium several times. Simply add more salted eggplant and stir thoroughly. You’ll know it’s time to start fresh when the miso begins to get thin and watery.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Pickling Time: 4 hours or up to 2 days
Makes about 6 servings
1 cup (275 g) miso
2 teaspoons mirin
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 small Japanese eggplants or 1 globe eggplant, cut into ¼ in (5 mm) rounds or half-moons
2 tablespoons salt
In a glass container, combine the miso, mirin, grated ginger and garlic. Stir well and then set aside.
Place eggplant in a bowl filled with water. Add the salt. Weight the eggplant with a plate or heavy lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Drain the eggplant. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
Add the eggplant to the miso mixture and stir to coat each piece thoroughly with miso. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 4 hours.
For a light pickle, remove eggplant from miso. Rinse off excess miso before enjoying. For a more flavorful pickle, refrigerate the covered dish and allow to sit undisturbed for 2 days before removing eggplant. Be sure to rinse off excess miso before serving.
