Eggplant/Aubergine

[scubadoo97]

Can I ask an additional question?  I don't salt, because I have never found a problem with bitterness.  But, I do notice a tingling sensation on my lips when I eat aubergine dishes - I am beginning to wonder if this is the "bitterness"? Is it normal?

Catherine

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First thought is an allergy but could also be a sensitivity to the low level alkaloids present in eggplants. I know it is only one member of the nightshade family but I sometimes get some a little mouth sensation with an astringent seedy eggplant.

[CaliPoutine]

I've never encountered a bitter eggplant in the Philippines and here in Korea. Maybe it's a regional thing?

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I've never seen or heard of bitter eggplants, either. In Japan, it is a common practice to soak eggplants in cold water for "aku nuki" (lit. harshness removal) after cutting.

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I'm assuming you're not getting the ginourmous eggplants that we get in the US. I assume you're getting the long slender " japanese eggplants".

[nickrey]

I've never encountered a bitter eggplant in the Philippines and here in Korea. Maybe it's a regional thing?

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I've never seen or heard of bitter eggplants, either. In Japan, it is a common practice to soak eggplants in cold water for "aku nuki" (lit. harshness removal) after cutting.

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I'm assuming you're not getting the ginourmous eggplants that we get in the US. I assume you're getting the long slender " japanese eggplants".

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We get both here in Australia and neither are really bitter; go figure.

[NancyH]

As a rule, Asian eggplants do not need to be salted because they are not bitter; Italian eggplants do need a salting (or as Alton Brown describes it, "purging") to reduce bitterness.

[tim]

Hi,

You may also pre-cook (microwave works nicely) and press pieces of eggplant to remove water. This allows for quicker browning with less oil and eliminates unwanted liquid in certain dishes.

In my experience, bitterness is strongly associated with the variety and age of the eggplant. A really large black beauty with lots of seeds can be very bitter. An equally sized rosa bianca will be wonderfully mild. The smaller varieties all seem milder than the large varieties.

Tim

[Alex]

Hi,

You may also pre-cook (microwave works nicely) and press pieces of eggplant to remove water.  This allows for quicker browning with less oil and eliminates unwanted liquid in certain dishes.

In my experience, bitterness is strongly associated with the variety and age of the eggplant.  A really large black beauty with lots of seeds can be very bitter.  An equally sized rosa bianca will be wonderfully mild.    The smaller varieties all seem milder than the large varieties.

Tim

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I used Cook's Illustrated's recipe for ratatouille, in which the eggplant is peeled, cubed, salted, rested, and rinsed, then pressed between several thicknesses of paper towels. As Tim said, it cuts the oil absorption dramatically and eliminates extraneous liquid.

[cfm]

Can I ask an additional question?  I don't salt, because I have never found a problem with bitterness.  But, I do notice a tingling sensation on my lips when I eat aubergine dishes - I am beginning to wonder if this is the "bitterness"? Is it normal?

Catherine

←

First thought is an allergy but could also be a sensitivity to the low level alkaloids present in eggplants. I know it is only one member of the nightshade family but I sometimes get some a little mouth sensation with an astringent seedy eggplant.

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I'll try salting, I think, see if it makes a difference.

C

[Emily_R]

Totally agree on the pressing -- I do this salt-rest-rinse-press thing every time I saute eggplant. What I wanted to mention is that I never bother with the paper towels -- I just take handfuls and squeeze them as hard as I can -- basically wringing the water out of them. They compress considerably, which helps me get more in the saute pan (since they always shrink down anyway when cooked), and I get so much more water out then paper towels would be able to handle...

[Starkman]

It seems pretty clear from everyone's posts here that the real benefit from salting is to reduce moisture, which I knew about.

It's good to have learned a bit about the different varieties of eggplant, specifically, those that tend to be more or less bitter than others.

Thanks,

Starkman

[JasonTrue]

The primary value of salting isn't about the aku or bitterness, but it makes a small difference. (Some varieties of eggplant, such as the spherical Turkish one that turns red when it's overripe, are bitter unless consumed prior to peak ripeness, and salting doesn't help that at all). It does result in some dark colors being removed, but this is basically what is called "aku" in Japanese, and isn't particularly bitter.

The main reason to salt is for texture. Unsalted eggplant will turn mushy faster when cooked than salted eggplant. You'll reliably get a firmer texture, even with braised eggplant, when salting.

[trekflyer]

Can I ask an additional question?  I don't salt, because I have never found a problem with bitterness.  But, I do notice a tingling sensation on my lips when I eat aubergine dishes - I am beginning to wonder if this is the "bitterness"? Is it normal?

Catherine

←

First thought is an allergy but could also be a sensitivity to the low level alkaloids present in eggplants. I know it is only one member of the nightshade family but I sometimes get some a little mouth sensation with an astringent seedy eggplant.

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i also get that tingling sensation... i can't stand it. I stopped eating eggplant for a while because of it, though in Israel i have a found what is called a "baladi" eggplant... it's wider and has lots of ripples and creases on it.... tastes better and doesn't have the tingling

[heidih]

I had a beautiful shiny firm globe eggplant and wonderful fresh herbs. I had big plans. Then life threw me a curve. I wanted comfort food, I had little time, and I could not pre-fry the eggplant because the house is for sale and no smells are allowed. I took a disposable aluminum pan, sprayed to coat, and layered Yukon Gold potato, eggplant, and a mix of ground pork/chuck/veal well seasoned. The layers also included a bit of grated raw milk farmhouse cheese and parmesan as well as fresh basil, thyme, parsley and oregano, and masses of fresh chopped garlic and some sliced onion. After it was all layered and patted down I gave it a little splash bath of cream. This was in keeping with an excellent recipe I learned here for cream roasted potatoes. I covered the first hour and then let brown up a bit. The teenagers got pretty curious and one overcame his eggplant fear and ate a big bowl. This was really good comfort food with basically only assembly. There was no watery issue from the eggplant, or any bitterness, and the flavors were good. Next time I will add in garden zucchini for a taste and textural contrast. I was just so pleased that I could let the oven slowly do the work for me.

[Lindsey]

I was taught to make a wonderful dish by a Roman Chef. He sliced the aubergines lengthwise and salted them, dried them off very well and set them out on an oven tray and dried them in a low oven until almost leather-like. (also did this with courgettes) when cold he would drench them in the best EVOO he could afford, lots of finely chopped garlic, lots of chopped parsley and a small spritz of lemon juice. The aubergine flesh drinks up the wonderful garlic olive oil and becomes soft and unctuous.

Needs an overflowing basket of good bread to sop up the wonderful juices. Oh and a wee bottle of vino

[tim]

I was always told to salt my eggplants to reduce bitterness but I have stopped since eggplants are not as bitter as they used to be, is salting still widely done?

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Hi,

Actually salting is used to leach moisture from the eggplant. You may also cook the eggplant pieces to eliminate moisture before using oil.

Another effective way to reduce moisture it to microwave the eggplant pieces.

Tim

[helenjp]

My local honesty-box vegetable shack has risen from the ashes, and they have started selling "old" Japanese eggplants at around a dollar a dozen (100 yen for 10, to be pedantic). These are probably not seedy or over-ripe, they've just been picked a few days and left at temps close to 100 deg F in a tinroofed shack, and are starting to deflate and lose their gloss.

Recommended recipes for the less wonderful eggplants in our world?

[joesan]

My local honesty-box vegetable shack has risen from the ashes, and they have started selling "old" Japanese eggplants at around a dollar a dozen (100 yen for 10, to be pedantic). These are probably not seedy or over-ripe, they've just been picked a few days and left at temps close to 100 deg F in a tinroofed shack, and are starting to deflate and lose their gloss.

Recommended recipes for the less wonderful eggplants in our world?

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Grill them over charcoal, or in a super hot oven if a charcoal grill is not available, until the skins are blackened all over, for about 20 minutes in all. It is important to burn them until they are black so that the flesh inside tastes smoky. Mash the flesh lightly with some cumin powder, small amount of chopped garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Add salt and pepper. If you'd like it a little more creamy add a small amount of natural yoghurt but this is not necessary in my opinion.

This is a wonderful topping for some bruschetta or use as an accompaniment for meat or fish.

[maggiethecat]

Do whatever you do with good eggplant, with one change.

Slice them, put them on a paper towel lined plate, and nuke them for, oh, a minute and a half. They won't be watery, won't be bitter and will be slightly pre-cooked for the recipe of your choice. All that salting standing stuff will be blown away, the flavor will improve, and they'll cook faster.

[amapola]

Cut them in half-inch cubes and sautee over high heat in a generous splash of oil for 5-7 minutes, until they start to soften and brown. Then pour in a mixture of equal parts shaoxing wine (or dry sherry) and light soy sauce, half a teaspoon of sugar, some chiliflakes and freshly grated ginger. Stir for about another minute, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle with scallions and serve over rice.

[helenjp]

I ended up currying them with some tomatoes..letting them sweat out their own juices to make a rich, spicy sauce.

Joe, I'll definitely try chargrilling, though I wonder if they will be as tasty as fresh eggplants done that way.

I'll be over at that stand again at the crack of dawn tomorrow, anyway!

[OnigiriFB]

Helen,

That sounds yummy! What kind of curry did you make? The Japanese kind? Or a different version?

[nakji]

If they were already kind of wilted, they might make okay pickles, like Marcella Hazan's pickled eggplants. They're great on a sandwich, or with a plate of bread and cheese before dinner, since they're quite garlicky.

[CDRFloppingham]

I'm surprised that no one has said babaganoush yet.

[weinoo]

I'm surprised that no one has said babaganoush yet.

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Actually, I thought this post above kind of had that covered.

Grill them over charcoal, or in a super hot oven if a charcoal grill is not available, until the skins are blackened all over, for about 20 minutes in all. It is important to burn them until they are black so that the flesh inside tastes smoky. Mash the flesh lightly with some cumin powder, small amount of chopped garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Add salt and pepper. If you'd like it a little more creamy add a small amount of natural yoghurt but this is not necessary in my opinion.

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I'd also think about ratatouille or caponata, both good ways to disguise slightly over-the-hill vegetables.

[joesan]

I agree - but don't let an Italian hear you say that one of their recipes (caponata) is a good way to disguise over the hill vegetables. To their mind if you're using over the hill vegetables you've failed before you've started cooking.

But ratatouille is French and they won't mind about the quality of the vegetables so you're safe there...

[sadistick]

Lately I have enjoyed making a 'deconstructed babaganoush'

Essentially, grill up some eggplants which have been sliced in half.

Prepare some fantastic Tahina - top eggplant with a mound of tahina, chopped parsley, good squeeze of lemon juice, and if you have it, some spring garlic mash/oil & s&p.

Awesome dish.