EGGPLANT
A beautiful and spongy textured fruit that almost melts when properly cooked.
VARIETIES
Black Beauty
Ping Tung Long
Bride
Fairytale
STORAGE
Eggplants really shine when stored in a cool spot away from direct sunlight~ ideal temperature range is around 7C to 13C, which is tricky to achieve unless you have a cold cellar or a very cold basement. The refrigerator is a bit too cold for them and can damage their texture and flavour. If you must store them in the fridge, try to eat within a few days. Eggplants are also sensitive to ethylene gas, so keep separate from tomatoes and fruits.
COOKING TIPS
The trick with eggplants is patience! Slow cooking or roasting is recommended to achieve the best texture. Some folks salt their eggplant for ~1 hour before cooking to improve texture, and we find this works well if you're going for a nice creamy, almost liquefied eggplant. If you want your end result to be more firm, you can skip the salting.
RECIPES
- Roasted eggplant with pomegranate seeds (we veganized this Ottolenghi recipe with great success)
- Thai spicy eggplant with basil (add 10-20 minutes more low-med cooking time for the eggplant to make it melt down)