Miso-Charred Eggplant over Asian Giant Couscous Salad

This sauce/marinade is possibly one of the best I have ever had. It's great on this dish but it's also great as a sauce or drizzle on almost anything. I'm obsessed!

Miso-Charred Eggplant with Asian Giant Couscous Salad

Ingredients for eggplant/sauce:
-2 medium purple eggplants
-3-4 tbsp. sesame oil
-4 tbsp. dark miso paste
-3 tbsp. sugar
-2 tbsp. soy sauce
-4 tbsp. rice vinegar
-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or even ground into a paste
-2-3 tsp. Sriracha or sambal oelek chili sauce
-2 scallions, finely chopped

Ingredients for couscous salad:
-1 package giant Israeli couscous (or regular couscous if you prefer)
-1 tbsp. lime juice
-2 tbsp. sesame oil
-1 tbsp. rice vinegar
-1/2 tsp. ginger powder
-2 scallions, chopped
-handful of snow peas

Method:
First, make the couscous according to package directions. Drain and set into a bowl. While it's still warm, whisk together (or shake in a jar until emulsified) the other ingtedients for the couscous salad - lime juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and ginger powder. Pour over the couscous and toss in the scallions. Boil up some water, throw the snow peas in for 3-4 minutes until bright green and a little soft but still crisp, and then drain. Run the peas under cold water, then toss them in with the couscous. Set that aside.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil for the eggplant in a frying pan (large) over medium heat. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, and then score each one diagonally (crosshatch in a diamond pattern) with a sharp knife (do not cut the skin, just the flesh) with cuts about 1" apart. Once the oil is hot, place 2 of the eggplant halves flesh-side down into the frying pan and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then turn them over and cook for 2-3 minutes more on the skin side. Do this with the other 2 halves next. Set all 4 halves flesh-side up in an oven-safe dish and set aside.

Preheat your broiler to the top heat. In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the miso marinade (miso paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, chili sauce). Spoon the marinade thickly over the eggplant halves then put in the oven under the broiler. Watch it carefully - they should probably only be in there for about 5-6 minutes, until the eggplants look a little softer and the marinade is bubbling but NOT burned on top of them. Remove from oven.

Plate any way you want - I piled some couscous salad on the plate and laid eggplant halves on top, then topped with more sliced scallions. I saved some marinade to use as extra topping sauce as well. Enjoy!