Conscious Choice: Eggplant Excitement

August 2003 | Cooking with the Seasons

Eggplant Excitement

by Terra Brockman

As a child, I often wondered what sort of monstrous creature would lay a huge, purple-black egg — for surely the eggplant was named after such an egg laid by such a creature. Imagine my relief, when I eventually learned that the first eggplants, grown in China, were small, ivory, and egg-shaped, with a delicate pearly skin, just like an ordinary egg. There was no eggplant-laying monster!

From China, the eggplant migrated all over the world, gradually acquiring the deep, lustrous colors we are most familiar with today. But there is more to the eggplant than the large purple varieties. However, those that you see in the grocery store are usually over mature and bitter. To experience the true excitement of eggplants, go to a farmer’s market.

Eggplant is the main ingredient in many popular dishes around the world: grilled with soy sauce or garlic in many Asian countries; caponata and eggplant parmigiana in Italy; ratatouille in France; and baba ghanoush in the Middle East. Find some fresh, glossy-skinned eggplants, and give these recipes a try.

Sautéed Asian Eggplant

2 medium Asian eggplants

2 Tablespoons peanut oil

3 Tablespoons soy sauce (optional)

1/2 medium onion sliced

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon shrimp paste (optional) salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash eggplant and cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes or slice in strips two-inch wide.

2. Heat oil and fry the onion, garlic, and shrimp paste two minutes.

3. Add eggplant. Stir and cover pan. Simmer 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves four.

Eggplant in Coconut Milk

2 medium Asian eggplants

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon shrimp paste

1 teaspoon ground hot red peppers (optional)

1 cup coconut milk

1 medium onion sliced thin

1. Wash the eggplant and cut in 1-1/2 inch cubes or one inch strips, two inches wide.

2. Heat the oil and fry the onion and shrimp paste one minute.

3. Add red pepper and fry another minute.

4. Add coconut milk and eggplant and bring to a boil and simmer 25 minutes, until coconut milk is absorbed. Serves four.

Baba ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Dip)

1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 teaspoon olive oil plus additional for coating eggplant

1 large head garlic, unpeeled

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/3 cup well-stirred tahini (sesame seed paste)

3/4 cup finely-chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prick eggplant with a fork several times and on a baking sheet rub with just enough oil to coat.

2. Cut off and discard top quarter of garlic head to expose cloves and set garlic in middle of a large piece of foil. Drizzle garlic with one teaspoon oil and enclose completely in foil. Place foil packet next to eggplant on baking sheet and roast in middle of oven, turning eggplant after 30 minutes and 45 minutes, or until eggplant is very soft and collapsed. Unwrap garlic carefully and cool eggplant and garlic on baking sheet.

3. Transfer eggplant to cutting board. Cut off and discard stem end and halve eggplant lengthwise. Scoop flesh out into a bowl, scraping as close to skin as possible. Pour off any liquid accumulated in bowl.

4. Squeeze roasted garlic from skins into a food processor. Add eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, parsley, and salt to taste and blend until smooth and parsley is minced fine. Dip may be made one day ahead and chilled, covered.

5. Transfer dip to a bowl and serve with pita wedges or chips. Makes about two cups.

Eggplant Varieties and Properties

Here is just a sampling of the biodiversity of eggplants you might encounter at your local farmers’ market:

Variety	Appearance	Flavor
Standard Italian	Medium to large, glossy purple-black	Medium assertiveness but not bitter, holds shape when cooked
Listata de Gandia or Purple Rain	Long oval shape, with stunning white & purple stripes, green thorny calyxes that curl	Mild white flesh; meaty, creamy texture, holds shape when cooked, thin skin, slightly bitter
Thai Green Stripe or Lao Green Stripe	Round about 2-inch diameter, dark green stripes, pointy calyx “hat”	Assertive flavor; Very popular in Thailand, Laos, & Vietnam
Japanese Ichiban	Dark purple-black with black calyx	Tender skin, sweet mild flesh; great for grilling
Globe	Oval shaped with glossy black skin, cream to green flesh	Soft texture, mild flavor with slight bitterness
Taiwanese Ping Tung	Long and slender; deep purple to lavender skin, green to purple-black calyxes, white flesh	Very tender & sweet, nutty flavor, buttery texture; named after its native town, Ping Tung, Taiwan.
Rosa Bianca	Round; white skin with lavender streaks, white flesh	Italian eggplant; creamy yet firm texture, holds shape when cooked; sweet flavor
Rosita	Long, oval shape; bright lavender color, white flesh	Mild, sweet flavor; smooth, tender flesh & skin; from Puerto Rico
Thai Long Green	Long, slender shape; lime green skin, white flesh	Sweet, nutty velvety flesh & skin
Louisiana Long Green	Cylindrical; light green with dark stripes	Mild flavor, never bitter

Terra Brockman is the director of The Land Connection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting small-scale, diversified, organic agriculture in Illinois. Visit www.thelandconnection.org or call 309-965-2407 to learn how to get involved.

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