Cooking Instructions Eggplant
Eggplants can be delicious when cooked well. However, in order to cook a delicious dish of eggplant, you also need to choose the vegetable properly. Only select those which have a glossy and shiny skin. Discard any eggplant with dull skin as it will be old and bitter to taste. |
Now onto the cooking instructions. If you intend serving a dish with chunks or slices, you can peel the skin. You can peel the skin off in strips. If you intend roasting or grilling it, then make sure you keep the skin on. This will prevent the eggplant from breaking.
Make sure you salt the eggplant before cooking it. This will not only help to remove the bitterness, it will also do away with any air pockets present in it. If the air pockets are removed, the eggplant will not absorb as much oil as it normally would. In order to salt, peel the skin and cut the vegetable into slices or cubes. Then add the salt and mix well. Allow the vegetable to sit for around an hour; after which you should rinse it off thoroughly to remove all the salt. Dry the cubes or slices with the help of paper towels.
When you are cooking the eggplant, ensure that it is cooked perfectly. It is only then you will be able to enjoy its creamy and smooth texture. If you overcook it, it will become mushy. If you undercook it, it will have an unpleasant chewy texture.
In order to grill the vegetable, oil it lightly and cook on a medium hot grill until the vegetable is properly grilled. Remember, for grilling keep the skin in tact.
To bake eggplants, poke it well with the fork. You do not need to slice, dice or cube it. You can bake it whole. Allow the eggplant to bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees. Once it is baked, you can mash or puree it.
You can also cook eggplant in a microwave oven. The cooking time will be just 6 to 8 minutes for a whole eggplant, and 3 to 4 minutes for diced or sliced pieces.
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