eggplants
Many western cooks are familiar only with the large, fat, purple eggplants also known as aubergines. But in cities such as Hong Kong, the long, narrow Chinese and Japanese varieties are available in abundance. In fact, there are dozens of types of eggplants, in many sizes, shapes and colours.
What are they? Although they're treated as a vegetable and used in savoury preparations, they're a fruit, botanically speaking.
Season: they're available year-round.
Where are they grown? Lots of places, including India, China, Japan, Thailand, Italy, Greece, the Middle East, Brazil, Bulgaria and Russia.
How to choose? Pick eggplants that are heavy for their size and have smooth, firm skin with no soft spots.
How to store? Wrap them in plastic and store in the fridge.
To salt or not to salt? Many recipes using larger varieties of eggplants call for them to be sliced and salted, which is supposed to draw out the excess moisture and bitterness. You can usually avoid salting if you select smaller, younger specimens of the large varieties, or if you substitute an equal weight of Japanese or Chinese eggplants, which tend to have fewer seeds. If the recipe allows, another way to skip the salting process is to grill or roast the eggplants until soft, then squeeze out excess moisture.
Male or female? As with all living things, there are male and female eggplants. The females, of course, have more seeds, which means they can be more bitter. This isn't a problem as long as you're picking specimens that aren't too big and mature.
How to tell? You can determine the sex of an egg-plant by looking at its bottom - the opposite end from the stem. Female eggplants have a deep indentation; males have a shallow indentation or none at all.
What else? Some of the smaller varieties of eggplants are also bitter, but cuisines that use these types of eggplant use the sharpness to enhance the other flavours in a dish.
Anyone who has cooked eggplants knows how much oil they can absorb - they're like sponges. You mustn't give in to the eggplants' demands for more oil because they are almost insatiable. Instead, saute eggplants with other moist, flavourful ingredients; grill, roast or bake them; if you fry them, coat the slices first in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs; or, for surprisingly light results, quickly deep-fry the slices in 180 degree Celsius oil.
How to prepare: grill, roast, steam, fry, stir-fry, stew, braise ... in other words, there are endless ways to cook eggplants.
