This Miso Pork and Eggplant Stir-Fry recipe makes a delicious and easy weeknight meal. You‘ll love the magical combination of tender eggplants soaking up the savory miso flavors. Serve it as a main entree or a one-bowl meal over steamed rice.
Miso Pork and Eggplant Stir Fry (豚肉とナスの味噌炒め) is one of my go-to recipes when I have eggplants in my kitchen. I love the eggplants when they soak up all the delicious savory flavors, especially with miso and soy sauce-based sauce. When served over a bowl of steamed rice, the dish makes a satisfying dinner with affordable ingredients and is loaded with nutrition.
Table of Contents
3 Best Ingredient Combinations
The combination of miso and eggplant is fail-proof, and by adding pork, you get a robust and hearty stir-fry dish. If you use miso regularly, you’d agree that it makes an all-rounded seasoning that works with any protein, but my choice is always pork when I cook miso with eggplant. The absorbency of the eggplant and the sweet bold flavor of pork, when paired hand-in-hand, is one that you can rely on in various preparations. As a result, you get tender juicy pork, creamy eggplant, and a flavorful sauce that holds everything together. It’s a combination that works. Another delicious example you may want to try is this Ginger Pork Roll with Eggplant.
I used Japanese eggplant in the recipe. Japanese eggplant has a slender body and is more tender than other varieties. Since it cooks up quickly, it is the best choice for stir-frying and many other Japanese dishes. You can still substitute it with Chinese eggplant or another variety that you can find locally in your market. They are the freshest when they are in season.
Benefits of Cooking with Miso & Which Miso to Use
One of the most obvious uses for miso is in soup, but this fermented soybean paste has a lot more to offer. In Japanese cooking, you can find miso being utilized in marinades, vinaigrettes, and as a sauce to turn a plain dish into something incredibly flavorful. Not only it is a versatile seasoning for everyday dishes, it is also a mighty probiotic that offers many health benefits and essential minerals, and it is especially good for gut health.
If you’re new to Just One Cookbook, here are just some of the recipes featuring this all-purpose seasoning:
- Miso Yaki Onigiri
- Spicy Edamame
- Vegetable Miso Soup
- Miso Ginger Pork
- Spring Mix Salad with Sweet Miso Dressing
I’ve been cooking a lot of miso recipes this year using Hikari Miso, my favorite miso brand which I’m honored to partner with. Hikari Miso carries various types of miso that are organic and non-GMO. For this recipe, I’ve used Hikari Miso® Organic Miso – Red Miso, but you can use other types of miso to try out different flavors. You can purchase Hikari Miso from a majority of Japanese/Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.
Variations
Vegetarian/ Vegan-Friendly
Instead of meat, you can add tofu or deep-fried tofu such as Aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch – no white tofu part) or Atsuage (thick deep-fried tofu with inside white and brown skin. You can find this variety at Asian grocery stores).
You can also keep it simple by using more eggplant. You can toss in other vegetables like zucchini if you like. Just remember that the cooking time will vary and the flavor profile may taste slightly different.
Some miso may contain dashi (it displays as だし入り “dashi included”) for your convenience to make miso soup instantly by adding miso into the water. Typically dashi is made of katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) so if you plan to make vegetarian/vegan-friendly meals, make sure to pick miso that does not include dashi.
Make It Spicy
If you enjoy spicy food, I highly recommend adding a few teaspoons of Doubanjiang (chili bean paste) to your liking. If you enjoy just a little bit of spice like me, sprinkle some ichimi togarashi (Japanese chili pepper) or shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice).
Comfort Food at Its Best
Although the stir-fry dish is not particularly exciting looking, it’s truly comfort food, which is why I like to serve it over steamed rice. This one-bowl rice dish or what we call donburi, is a really easy weeknight meal for busy moms, singles, and students. Enjoy it with miso soup and a simple bowl of salad or green vegetable dish like Spinach Gomaae!
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Miso Pork and Eggplant Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants (or 1 globe eggplant)
- 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) (use the white part only; or use several green onions)
- 1 green onion/scallion (for garnish)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm; peeled)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- ¼ lb thinly sliced pork (I use komagire pre-cut pieces; buy pre-sliced at a Japanese grocery store or thinly slice meat at home and then cut into bite-size pieces)
For the Seasonings
For Serving as a Donburi Rice Bowl (optional)
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp miso, 1–2 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp mirin, and 1 Tbsp sake. Mix all together until the miso is completely dissolved.
- Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp water to the bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Cut 2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants into bite-size pieces. I use the rangiri cutting technique to increase the surface area so it cooks evenly and adds more flavor. Soak the eggplants in water to prevent the color from changing.
- Meanwhile, thinly cut the white part of 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) diagonally. Cut the green part of 1 green onion/scallion diagonally into thin slices and set it aside for garnish.
- Slice 1 clove garlic and 1 knob ginger thinly.
To Stir-Fry
- Add 1 Tbsp neutral oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the garlic and ginger until fragrant.
- Add the white part of the negi and ¼ lb thinly sliced pork.
- Stir-fry until the pork is 80% cooked through. Then, add the eggplant and stir-fry until it becomes slightly tender.
- Add the sauce and lower the heat to medium-low heat.
- Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. If there is not enough liquid/steam, add 1 Tbsp water.
To Serve
- When the eggplant is tender, turn off the heat. The Miso Pork and Eggplant Stir-Fry is now ready to serve. To serve it as a donburi rice bowl, divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into donburi (large) bowls and serve the stir-fry on top. Garnish with sliced green onion on top.
This was absolutely delicious! Super easy. Ill be making this again and again. Thank you!
Hi LD Lawrence! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Easy, quick, and delicious! The soft texture of the eggplant is a nice contrast with the pork. I also added shimeji mushrooms that I had on hand. Will definitely make this recipe again. I’m thinking of trying a combo of red and white miso next time to see what that might taste like.
Hi Janet! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Yes! We hope you would enjoy the Awase miso version too.🙂
Soooooo so so good. This was my first time cooking eggplant, so everything took longer than it should have, but the results were still delicious. I used atsuage as an alternative to the pork like you suggested and it was perfect. We eat meat, but I’m always looking for non meat meals to lower our grocery spending.
Hi Mary, We are so glad to hear you tried Eggplant the first time and enjoyed it! Yay!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us.😊
THANK YOU for this recipe! I am American living in Okinawa and I am always intimidated by the different types of unfamiliar produce I see in the local farmer’s market. Today I grabbed a bag of beautiful fresh baby eggplant on a whim along with thinly sliced fresh Okinawan pork and I was hoping I could find a recipe for it on your site! How delicious! Even my kids liked it! I will definitely add this into the rotation! Oishii!!
Hi Lauren! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this recipe with fresh produce from your local farmer’s market!😊
So good. Easy and excellent. New Fav.
Hi Javier! Awesome! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
I just tried your Miso Pork and Eggplant Stir Fry and it was delicious. My only deviation was using Kane Masa white mild miso that I enjoy and it worked very well. I doubled the recipe for three people and had a little left over. I served it along with Santa Maria Tri-tip Burrito with Pico de Gallo and went together surprisingly well. Thank you. I’ve been looking for eggplant recipes.
Hi Tom, Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us! 😊
I can’t wait to try the recipes I have been looking at I love japense food.
Hi Phyllis, We are glad to hear you love Japanese food! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipes!
Nami, this recipe was so delicious! The eggplant really does soak up the miso flavour and tastes even better the next day! I plan on adding this to my meal prep rotation for sure.
I have a question about the pork. I bought pork loin chops, froze for an hour and cut into thin slices, thawed in the fridge and then cooked. It came out a bit tough, do you have any recommendations to make tender tasting pork? I’m new to cooking with pork and always find it a bit tough in texture when I use pork loin.
Thanks!! Look forward to your recommendations!
Hi Janice,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! We are glad to hear that you enjoy this dish.
As for recommendations to make tender pork, few things you can try;
* Select the pork loin that has more fat. (lower in fat prone to drying out)
* Marinate meat in the grated onion for 1 hour
* Take out the meat from the fridge 5~15 minutes before cooking. (room temperature)
I hope this helps!😊
Even my kids enjoyed it!
Hi there! I’m so glad to hear your children enjoyed this dish. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
I made this recipe as listed, and it was phenomenal!! So then I remade it with zucchini and chicken breast, and it was amazing as well. Thank you so much for this easy, delicious recipe!
Hi Alice! Aww I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for sharing your version of zucchini and chicken breast. Sounds delicious! 🙂
Absolutely beautiful! Reminds me of my mum’s cooking. Easy, quick and healthy.
Thank you Sunny! I’m happy to hear my cooking is similar to your mom’s. xoxo
Made this last night and it was excellent! I used pork chops cut thinly, and it was delicious. The bellpepper was great with the eggplant and the sauce was delightful. I have some leftover meat and veggie, so I am definitely making this again for tonight!
Hi Keri! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe. Thank you for your kind words! 😀
what cut of pork do you buy?
Hi Louie! You can use shredded/thinly sliced pork loin. 🙂
I am a gaijin who lived on Okinawa for 23 years and traveled to the mainland often
I miss Japanese sensibilities, culture and FOOD
Thank you for this blog.
I love every recipe I’ve made and your general attitude towards food
One thing though, I can’t read kanji. Could you include the romaji for your recipe titles
No matter what, I will continue to look forward to your blog’s arrival, to try your generously offered recipes and talk you up
Arigatōgozaimashita
Hi Joan! 23 years! You’re the opposite of me. I think I’ve been in the US for 23 years!
Ah the Japanese name – this is behind the scene story, but the title has to have certain number of letters that is good for keyword search on Google, and I can’t make it too long. In fact, this recipe title is giving me some bad score… but I want to share Japanese titles for authenticity. I’m happy to write it down if you ask me in the comment. 🙂
This one is: Butaniku to Nasu no Miso Itame.
I’m not big on eggplant generally, but this was delicious with the Japanese variety. I added in some mushroom. I will likely use miso as a stir fry sauce on a regular rotation now. Thank you!
Hi Ellen! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for your kind feedback. Miso and eggplant are a golden combination! Miso burns SUPER easily so wait until the last minute to add the miso when you stir fry. 🙂
Hi, can I use minced pork in place of sliced pork ? Thanks !
Hi Geraldine! Definitely! 🙂
that would be delicious…. I was thinking the same thing! This is an excellent recipe. Try it!