It's that time of the year where I am picking the last of the crop. I would like to know some of your favorite eggplant recipes. Generally, I don't eat tomato-based foods in the evening and would be delighted in knowing some of the recipes I could use for tonight's dinner that don't include tomatoes with the eggplants as I've seen all to often on the internet. Thanks ahead of time for sharing...
You need to be a member of AZ Herb Forum to add comments!
Replies
yu xiang eggplant is my favorite sichuan dish.
I know this is an old thread, but since I planted eggplant for the first time this year, and am not actually a huge fan of it, I've been experimenting with recipes. I made this one for supper on the weekend, and thought of this thread, since there are no tomatoes in it. It's absolutely delicious, great for summer because it's served at room temperature, and very hot! My husband doesn't care much for eggplant either, and he went back for thirds!
The original recipe has you fry the eggplant, but I like it so much better grilled -- it's a lot less greasy, and it has a wonderful flavor. If you don't like spicy food, reduce and/or seed the chiles.
Grilled Eggplant
1 to 1.5 lbs eggplant, stem removed, sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices
1.5 tsp kosher or coarse salt
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh curry leaves
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh green Thai, cayenne or serrano chiles stems removed but seeds left in, finely choppped
Lay the eggplant slices in a shallow, medium size pan. Sprinkle with the salt and leave to drain for 1 hour. Squeeze the eggplant between paper towels to get rid of the liquid.
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat. Brush one side of the eggplant with olive oil and lay on the grill. Brush the other side with oil. Grill for 3-5 minutes per side, until the eggplant is soft, and has nice grill marks. Cool to room temperature.
Whisk the yoghurt with the remaining ingredients. Arrange the eggplant on a serving platter, and spoon the yoghurt sauce over top of them.
Nice recipe Leanne!
Leanne, That sounds really good. I actually have a curry plant, that I never know what to do with, but is smells great. I planted eggplants so I should have some soon. I am going to try it, it might be a great summer potluck dish.
The curry leaves smell pretty pungent when you're mincing them, and I was afraid they would overpower the dish, but they actually blend very nicely with the cilantro and the mint. I was very pleasantly surprised by this dish, and am looking forward to having eggplants of my own to make it with.
Here's one I just tried and liked:
Cut the stems off of 1 lb of eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise, steam them until they soften- maybe 7 minutes or so. Cut into bite size pieces.
In a bowl mix: 2 TBS sugar, 2 TBS soy sauce, 1 TBS sake/dry sherry (I just used a dry wine I had open), 1 TBS rice vinegar, 2 TBS sesame paste or unsweetened peanut butter, 5 shiso leaves or a mix of mint and basil leaves cut into small strips, 1/4 cup finely sliced shallots.
Mix eggplant pieces into the sauce mixture to create a warm salad.
I found this recipe to be easy and taste vastly different from so many other eggplant recipes, so I liked it. I didn't have shallots so I left them out completely and thought it was good without them. I don't have shiso, but I have plenty of basil and mint so I doubled that part of the recipe.
Other eggplant dishes I like: Baingan Bharta (it has tomato in it.
This sounds great Rachel. It would be a great side dish for falafel.
Catherine, It might have been fresh spearmint. As a kid I did not like the dish, but now I wish I knew how to make it.
Yes fresh spearmint, Grace. You can probably find a recipe by googling the components you remember along with the word mint. There are most likely a ton of variations :-)
I think this is an Arabic recipe and it also has allspice and cinnaman in it. I am googling recipes now and I will definately grow eggplant this year. The thing I am afraid of is getting an eggplant with that bitter taste. I heard soaking in saltwater gets rid of the bitter taste. Also it depends if you cook a male or female eggplant. Last time I grew eggplant is was just mealy. Anyone have a favorite crisp variety that they plant?
Grace, I personally prefer the white, Rosa Blanca or any of the Japanese kind. They tend to be sweeter and less seedy than the very large varieties in my experience and do not need to be saltwater soaked. I just got Bakers Seed catalog http://rareseeds.com/ - they specialize in heirlooms from all over the world and no GMO.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next