Heat the 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saute pan or deep sided frying pan over a medium-high heat. Toss in the 4 cloves of chopped garlic and fry for about 30 seconds. Tip in the 4 cubed aubergines and fry for 5 minutes until the aubergines have started to wilt and reduce in size.
Add in the 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon white miso, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Stir to coat the aubergine evenly in the the cooking liquids.
Increase the heat of the pan and fry the aubergine for a further 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until it has completely softened and started to take on a lovely dark colour.
Remove the pan from the heat and tip in the 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper. Stir into the aubergines and then serve immediately. These spicy aubergines work great with freshly prepared jasmine rice or ramen noodles.