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I just love aubergines! Sliced thickly and grilled for your salad,
roasted and puréed for a delicious dip or quartered in a fabulous curry.
Most recipes that contain aubergine/eggplant/brinjal call for salting the slices before cooking to extract some of the bitter juices. Personally I don't really think this is necessary - loads of effort with little effect. But I recently found out that the salting not only extracts (some of) the bitterness, but also helps to minimise the oil absorption by the eggplant - because as we know, eggplants are like sponges!
How to salt:
Cut the eggplant into the desired shape.
Arrange on a tray and sprinkle with salt.
Allow to 'sweat' for 30 minutes.
Rinse well in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Grill, bake, fry or add to a sauce.
Tips:
- Buy aubergines that are firm and heavy for their size.
- To test if it's ripe gently press the skin, if it springs back it's ripe, if the indent stays, it's not.
- Cut eggplants with a stainless steal knife, carbon blades will cause the flesh to turn dark.
- Because of its meaty texture, it's the perfect 'Meat-Free Monday' ingredient.
Grilled Aubergines are the best :)
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