Miso Itame is a classic Japanese stirfry dish that people enjoy during hot summer days; every household has its version but usually has eggplants and pork. At our house, we make it with eggplants, pork, green peppers, and onion. The dish is nutty, sweet, salty, and has just enough oil to enhances the richness of the flavor. Serve Miso Itame with a side of steamed white (or brown) rice, and you will have a healthy and delicious meal.
In Kyushu where I am from, barley miso is customary in making Miso Itame, which makes the dish generally sweeter and nuttier, but you may use white or yellow miso for this recipe.
To make it vegetarian, substitute Atsuage Tofu for pork, or skip pork altogether.
Miso Itame, A Stir Fry with Miso, Eggplant and Pork


Ingredients
- 200 grams Japanese/Chinese eggplant 1 medium eggplant
- 200 grams pork belly or loin thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium green pepper cut into 12
- 1/2 medium onion cut into strips
- vegetable oil for cooking
Miso Sauce
- 1/4 cup miso white, yellow or red
- 3 tablespoon sake
- 3 tablespoon mirin
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Gather ingredients.
- Prep the ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine miso, sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce. Note: If using a lean piece of pork such as loin, sprinkle the meat with one tablespoon of sake and set it aside for 5 minutes.
- Heat a large frying pan (or stirfry pan) on medium heat. Add about ¼ cup of vegetable oil and cook eggplants. When the eggplant is soft, take it out on a paper towel. Set it aside.
- Using the same frying pan, stirfry pork until it is almost cooked through, take it out on a dish, and set it aside.
- Heat the frying pan again, add a teaspoon of oil and stirfry onion and pepper. When onion and peppers are soft, return the eggplant and pork to the pan. Add miso mixture, continue cooking on medium heat until sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and garnish with chopped chives (optional). Serve hot or room temperature with steamed white rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Plate made by Evla Pottery in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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