Shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and eggplant are all very “meaty” vegetables. Similarly there’s a creaminess to Sesame Miso Sauce, although it contains no cream. Put them together and you’ve got a very filling dish. Tasty too, of course. Grilling these vegetables as kabobs brings out their natural sugars. (You can broil them if you don’t have a grill or grill pan.)
Total preparation time: 50 minutes including marinating time
1 recipe Sesame Miso Sauce (recipe follows)
Combine the soy sauce, wine, 3 tablespoons water, the sugar, ginger, and sesame oil in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool slightly.
Peel the sweet potato and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch thick slices. Cut the slices into quarters or halves so that they are roughly the same size as the eggplant slices. Steam the sweet potato slices in a steamer set over boiling water for 6 to 7 minutes or until they are just al dente.
Alternate the sweet potato, eggplant, and mushrooms on eight 8- inch metal skewers. Place skewers in one layer in a shallow baking pan. Pour the marinade over them and marinate them at room temperature, turning a few times, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Sesame Miso Sauce.
Preheat the grill or a grill pan. Grill the kebobs, turning frequently, 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and slightly golden. Serve with the Sesame Miso Sauce on the side.
