Made and Tried: Miso Baked Eggplant and Harissa Chicken

Miso Baked Eggplant, Harissa Chicken and Mejadra with Spinach

I'm not a fan of eggplants. It's just squishy and stale. I find it boring sometimes. I think I've never had a good eggplant dish, maybe except then it's breaded and fried or turned into a vegetable lasagna. Something just have to cover it up. Like this miso eggplant dish. I've read quite a few recipes on this and I opted for the recipe from I Am A Food Blog. Well, of course, I made this with what I have on hand. It's easy enough but making it for the first time had a few challenges and mistakes.

For the miso eggplant, first, the recipe said to cut the eggplant in half then place it cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 180C for 20-30 minutes until cooked through. But, when I took off the eggplant, the flesh stuck to the foil! It pulled out some of the cooked flesh. When it was half cooked, I started making the miso. I used barley miso, soy sauce and mirin. It was flavorful but I think it can be improved.

For the harissa chicken, I think it's a success but there's a few elements missing. Most recipes just used harissa paste alone, plus some olive oil and chicken. I marinated it for 30 minutes with the paste and some olive oil. Placed the chicken thighs on a foil lined baking sheet and grilled them for 20 minutes.