Venison · Pan dish

Miso venison with eggplant

By Wild Food Japan · Updated

Thinly sliced venison leg and eggplant in a ginger-miso sauce. A pan dish with a covered finish and a Chichibu produce pairing.

Slice across the grain and keep the pieces even. Cook the eggplant first, then add it back after browning the venison. This recipe uses a Chichibu producer listing as a buying route; confirm the meat's capture origin for the actual batch.

Jump to recipeLocal ingredients
Serves
2
Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Total
40 min

Ingredients

  • Venison leg, 250g, sliced across the grain 4mm thick
  • Japanese eggplants, 2, cut into wedges
  • Grated ginger, 2 tsp
  • Miso, 1½ tbsp
  • Sake, 2 tbsp
  • Mirin, 1 tbsp
  • Sugar, 1 tsp
  • Water, 100ml
  • Neutral oil, 1½ tbsp
  • Cooked rice, to serve

Steps

  1. Thaw the meat in the refrigerator and slice evenly. Mix ginger, miso, sake, mirin, sugar, and water in a clean bowl.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Cook the eggplant over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning, until lightly browned; transfer to a clean plate.
  3. Add the remaining oil. Brown the venison in a single layer for about 1 minute per side, working in batches if necessary.
  4. Return the eggplant and all meat to the pan. Add the sauce, cover, and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes, adding water if it dries.
  5. Probe the thickest meat slice from its side. Continue heating until the center is at least 75°C and maintain it for at least 1 minute. Check that the eggplant is soft too.
  6. Uncover and reduce briefly to coat the meat and eggplant. Serve with rice using clean utensils.

Cook it through

Wild game needs thorough cooking. These recipes follow MHLW's guidance: at least 75°C at the center for at least one minute. Use a probe in the thickest part, not color or the clock alone. Keep raw meat and its utensils separate from ready-to-eat food. Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator; freezing is not a substitute for cooking.

MHLW: cooking wild game safely (JA)

Regional produce

Chichibu, Saitama

Regional produce plus a locally based processor. The cited certification establishes the facility and species, not every animal's capture location. Ask the seller for the batch origin before calling the meat Chichibu-caught.

  • Eggplant

    Saitama Prefecture names eggplant among Chichibu's cultivated vegetables.

    Saitama Prefecture: Chichibu agriculture

    Brown wedges before adding venison and miso sauce; finish covered until soft.

    Confirm the harvest window and current stock with the grower or shop.

Open the regional ingredient guideMAFF: Minano deer-processing facility

An original editorial recipe by Wild Food Japan, based on established cooking methods. It has not been kitchen-tested by our team. Times are estimates; verify temperature and tenderness. Linked producers have not endorsed the recipe. They sell and fulfill meat orders. Wild Food Japan does not sell the meat.

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