How To Make Miso Dengaku At Home (Eggplant, Tofu, Daikon, & Konnyaku)
Dengaku miso is a dish that consists of grilled or simmered ingredients such as tofu, konnyaku, eggplant, and daikon, which are topped or dipped into a special miso sauce. Dengaku miso sauce is essentially seasoned miso. Miso paste is seasoned and cooked with Japanese seasonings like mirin and sake, and simmered into a thick sauce. The combination of the rich miso dengaku sauce with simple ingredients like tofu and eggplant makes this a delicious dish. Dengaku miso is mostly popular with adults because it makes a great accompaniment to alcohol.
Around the Eiroku period (1558 - 1570), the combination of grilled and skewered tofu seasoned with miso paste became popular in Japan. The name "dengaku" came from the shape of the skewered tofu in the dish, which resembled the dengaku-houshi, a man who dances to worship the god of rice fields and prays for a good harvest at the time of rice planting.
When discussing the history of dengaku miso, another popular Japanese dish, "oden" is sure to come up. Oden was actually derived from dengaku miso, as oden used to be eaten with a miso sauce. If you’re curious to learn more about what oden is, or how to make it, then be sure to check our blog.
The sweetness and spiciness of dengaku miso differ depending on the miso used, as well as the region of Japan. For example, yuzu, peppercorn, sesame, or other varieties of miso may be used. The ingredients used for dengaku miso may also change based on the region, but common ones include konnyaku, tofu, eggplant, radish, taro, shiitake mushrooms, fish, and meat.
If you want to make dengaku miso at home, you can use any miso you want to make the sauce and use your favorite ingredients! Today, we will show you how to make the classic miso dengaku sauce as well as how to prepare some commonly served ingredients of dengaku miso, like eggplant, tofu, radish, and konnyaku for this dish.
Overview
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 1hr 10mins
Total time: 1hr 55mins
Total servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Miso (Use your favorite miso!)
- 4 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Sake
- 1 Tbsp Mirin
- 1 Medium Eggplant (Japanese, Chinese, or small Globe Eggplant is fine)
- 1 Package of Tofu (Recommended to use firm tofu)
- 1/4 Daikon (Japanese radish)
- 1 Tbsp of rice or 1 tsp of flour
- 1 Package of Konnyaku
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