Eggplants and Aubergines

[spicegirldc]

I've just become the happy recipient of a flat of beautiful baby eggplants.

I'm trying to break out of the lasagna/ratatouille rut. In my brief time here, you all seem to take food to the utmost in flavorful.

So I hope you won't mind if ask for your thoughts on favorite preparations and recipes?

Thanks.

NYC

If you like spice food, perhaps this might entice you. I have an Aunt in Austria who makes, Aubergine-schnitzel (two slices of eggplant sandwiched with achar- masala in between and coated with egg and then bread-crumbs and then deep fried.) It really is delicious. Achar Masala is Indian Pickle masala ( basically the gravy in your favorite indian pickle)

[Suvir Saran]

... looks like amethyst jewels on a red velvet cloth.

Oh dear -- can't top that for poetry!

That was a very beautiful description indeed. And hard to beat. But that is not what we do at eGullet is it?

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir - the eggplants that you use for this dish are they the same as what are called "Indian eggplants" on this site?

Indian Eggplant?

They are the 3 baby eggplants called "Indian eggplants" and are below Holland eggplants.

[Suvir Saran]

Whatever you choose to do with them, I am with Jinmyo. While there are hundreds of ways to make great eggplant dishes, why waste these baby jewels to prepare recipes that perhaps are as good if not better with large eggplants.

I would use the recipes that can only be prepared with baby eggplants and enjoy them for this time... and next week.... when you cannot find these babies again... buy the large ones and try out other recipes you are interested in.

[SobaAddict70]

If you are not adverse to Filipino food, you might try making inihaw na talong (broiled eggplant, with vinegar and garlic):

Broil eggplant with a little EVOO or peanut oil brushed over each one until tender; peel and mash the pulp. Toss with distilled or rice vinegar, salt, pepper, a little sugar, and A LOT of crushed garlic. (If the taste of raw garlic isn't appealing, you can fry the garlic in some peanut oil until browned; remove from heat before the cloves blacken or over-brown.)

Garnish with chopped onions, tomatoes, and green mangoes. (I sometimes make this by sauteeing the onions and tomatoes in some peanut oil.) You can substitute bagoong for the green mangoes. Bagoong is fermented shrimp paste. Fry the bagoong briefly, until the liquid evaporates and the paste turns a little crumbly, then fold chopped minced garlic into it. One clove is sufficient per three T. of bagoong, but you can more garlic if you want. Go easy on the shrimp paste. A little goes a long way -- by a little, I mean a smidget of paste can flavor an entire bowl of rice!

Another very simple dish is ginataang talong (yes, talong is a Tagalog word that refers both to "eggplant" and a specific type of eggplant indigenous to the Philippines):

1 onion

1 c. coconut cream (or coconut milk; freshly made coconut milk beats the canned version anytime...although you may not be as patient as other ppl since making fresh coconut milk can be a tedious process)

Salt and pepper to taste

Eggplants

Roast eggplants in oven or over a gas flame. Peel and chop finely. Chop onions finely. Heat peanut oil in a large saute pan and fry the onions until translucent. Add eggplants, and saute for a couple of minutes, until the eggplant is cooked through. Add the coconut cream (or coconut milk), lower heat, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the milk has reduced slightly and thickened. The consistency of the sauce should lightly coat the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and serve immediately.

I like talong as an omelette: boil or broil the eggplant, then peel and mash. Be careful to retain the stem -- you want the mashed fleshy portion to fan out when done. Dip the fanned portion into beaten eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry in unsalted butter until cooked through (as you would an omelette). Serve with banana ketchup.

SA

[SobaAddict70]

If you ever manage to get a hold of regular sized or jumbo eggplants, you can try making pakbet. There are different versions of pakbet all throughout the Philippines, but this is a common enough version:

Bagnet (pork crackling; see below), sliced

Peanut oil

Shredded ginger

Minced garlic

Minced shallots

Tomatoes

Bagoong, strained

Patis (fish sauce; optional; as above, go easy on this as patis is extremely salty and used injudiciously, can overwhelm a finished product quite easily; 1 or 2 t. is sufficient)

Okra (I prefer to leave the okra whole. Okra is an important component of pakbet...although I can understand someone leaving it out b/c of its texture. Pakbet without okra is like ratatouille without eggplant, imo.)

Ampalaya (bitter melon), quartered

Eggplant, cubed or sliced into sections

Bagnet:

pork belly (a whole piece of pork belly if you can get it)

crushed garlic

2 bay leaves

pinch of sea salt

To make the bagnet, place the pork belly, garlic, bay leaves and salt in a medium-sized sauce pan or pot. Add sufficient water to cover and cook for about an hour. Remove pork and dry in a moderately hot oven, in a baking dish, for about 20 minutes.

Deep fry the pork belly in oil, at low heat, for about an hour, turning every 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. To finish, re-heat oil, and deep fry until crisp and golden brown.

---------

Heat oil in a saute pan and saute the ginger, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and bagnet until the liquid has reduced, then add the bagoong. Add the patis if you want. From this point on, stir once or twice every few minutes or so. (Some ppl would advise you to keep stirring to a minimum. I prefer to stir every so often, but its up to you.)

Lower heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened somewhat. Add the okra, ampalaya and eggplant; cover and cook for an additional ten to fifteen minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir to mix thoroughly, and serve with steamed rice.

SA

[Jinmyo]

Very nice, Soba.

Would the pakbet work if the okra were fried until just done and then added?

[SobaAddict70]

It might work....but then the slimy texture wouldn't be present. (Would it? I don't think so...) Its texture and seeds add to the experience of the dish.

I'm a fan of okra.

SA

[Jinmyo]

Soba, I was trying to avoid the sliminess because of all of the complaints and suicide notes I receive when slimy okra is served.

[SobaAddict70]

hm

maybe you need to change your address then?

Not too sure what you can do about the sliminess. You could fry the okra separately, but then it wouldn't be authentic.

Okra is an indispensable (sp) part of many Filipino dishes -- pakbet/pinakbet, kari-kari (oxtail and peanut stew), bulanglang (a vegetable stew involving spinach, cabbage, squash, okra, tofu and tomatoes) and monggo (a mung bean, okra, tomato, garlic and onion stew) among others.

SA

edit: corrected spelling of monggo.

[Ron Johnson]

Soba, I was trying to avoid the sliminess because of all of the complaints and suicide notes I receive when slimy okra is served.

Jin,

Why is okra full of snot? If it wasn't for that I'd eat the hell out of it.

[foodgeek]

Indian Eggplant?

That linked explained what I did wrongt he time I made Thai eggplants. Remove the seeds? ooops. :)

[Rhea_S]

I like talong as an omelette:  boil or broil the eggplant, then peel and mash.  Be careful to retain the stem -- you want the mashed fleshy portion to fan out when done.  Dip the fanned portion into beaten eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Fry in unsalted butter until cooked through (as you would an omelette).  Serve with banana ketchup.

My mom adds ground meat (pork, meat, chicken, etc.) to the eggplant fans. One of my favourite dishes as a child.

As for pakbet (or pinakbet to me), my preferred recipe is pretty much the same as Soba's except I always use the skinny asian eggplants and I add yard-long beans. I sometimes add a little coconut milk, but then it's not pinakbet anymore. In the Philippines, it can also be made with anchovy paste rather than shrimp paste depending on the region. If you don't want to make the bagnet, just use chicharonnes that have a layer of skin, a layer of fat and a layer of meat.

[Rhea_S]

I attempt making Chinese Fish-Flavoured Eggplant every now and then, but I don't have a recipe because I'm still tweaking to match the best I've ever tasted in a Chinese restaurant (same for Ma Po Tofu). Anyone have a recipe they'd like to share?

[Dana]

Slice eggplant into 1/4" slices. Brush with mayo and roll in a mix of fresh bread crumbs and parm or pecorino and seasonings. Bake at 375 for 20-25 min, turning after 10. I have to use 2 eggplants for the 3 of us, cause everybody likes them soooo much.

[nyc]

Wow!

What an inspired (and generous) response from everyone.

Now my problem is mooching more eggplant so I can try all of the ideas.

I don't know if I know you all well enough to say this, (but I hope I do): you're my kind of people.

Thank you.

NYC

[nyc]

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but what's EVOO?

[SobaAddict70]

I knew you'd ask that sooner or later. Everyone else does.

its e-gullet shorthand for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

=)

SA

[Stone]

I once had a mashed eggplant dish (the person was trying to make bhaingan bharta (pardon the spelling)) that was too bitter to eat. Since then, I've always salted and rinsed the sliced eggplant before cooking. Is that a waste of time? Also, I've been told that long thin eggplants are less likely to be bitter than stout fat ones. (I'm talking the Western deep purple ones, not the Asian light purple.)

[Huevos del Toro]

I normally roast eggplant now but when I was first introduced to it, this is how I ate it. I became so addicted to these sandwiches that I had to swear off, lest I develop hatred for them. They ARE tasty! It seems this would easily lend itself to a myriad of variations.

Wish I could remember where this came from but I've had it so many years and surrendered so many brain cells in the interim it's anybody's guess.

Nordic Pocket Sandwich

1 large eggplant, cubed

3 medium onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 pkg. (1 doz.) pocket bread

½ lb. mushrooms, quartered

2-3¾ oz. cans sardines in tomato sauce

2 green peppers, diced

½ pint sour cream

olive oil

1½ c. grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese

¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped

In a large skillet, sauté eggplant and mushrooms separately in hot oil until almost tender. Sauté remaining vegetables together until almost tender.

Mix all vegetables in 13x9x2-inch baking dish with parsley, tomato sauce and seasonings.

Bake in 350°F oven 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are tender and liquid is almost absorbed. Cool. Chill in covered refrigerator containers.

At picnic site, split pocket bread along 1 side and spoon in about ½ cup vegetable mixture. Add 3 or 4 sardines, 1 spoonful sour cream and some grated cheese. Eat out of hand. Serves 12.

Note: Hot dog buns, toasted, can be substituted for pocket bread. Or, crusty Italian or French bread, heated and sliced, works well.

[Kikujiro]

Nasu dengaku is one of my favourite dishes of any kind. But I can't make it, so someone else will need to tell us how. (Jinmyo described a version with the tiny asian eggplants on another thread once).

Also: pasta alla norma.

[torakris]

Two of my favorite eggplant recipes call for the same method of roasting/grilling then scraping the flesh out, but this is where the similarities end. Jack Bishop's Spicy Eggplant Fritters with Basil adds garlic, basil, red pepper flakes andcheese to the eggplant, forms them into patties and sautees them in a skillet. On the other side of the world the Grilled Eggplant Salad from Hot Sour Salty Sweet is equally delicious.

This recipe combines the egglant with shallots, garlic, chiles, scallions, coriander, mint, lime juice and nampla and is served with cucumber slices for eating the "dip".

[Zoester]

Greek Moussaka.... layered eggplant with a rich tomatoe sauce and a beef or lamb mixture seasoned with cinnamon, topped with a rich bechamel sauce. (you can also make it with no meat and it is still heavenly)

But doesn't the word "aubergine" make the vegetable sound more appealing than "eggplant"?

[Jason Perlow]

Greek Moussaka....  layered eggplant with a rich tomatoe sauce and a beef or lamb mixture seasoned with cinnamon, topped with a rich bechamel sauce.  (you can also make it with no meat and it is still heavenly)

But doesn't the word "aubergine" make the vegetable sound more appealing than "eggplant"? 

My favorite eggplant dish, bar none.

[elyse]

Huevos,

Sammige sounds delicious, but I eat nothing from the water. (I know)... Can you suggest something else to take the place of the sardines?