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Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

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Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:59 am

Grand enthusiast of aubergine and here are some of the dishes I prepare with them:

Egyptian Baba Ghanug ( Moroccan Mutabal )
Eggplant Parmigiana
Ratatouille
Pisto Manchego
Sicilian Pasta Norma
Sautéed / Fried Aubergine with Chick Pea Flour


Have a lovely weekend .. :wino
Last edited by Alexandria on Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Mamta1 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:27 pm

Just cooked an aubergine and spinach bhaji today. I love aubergines, so make a lot of dishes with them. These are some of the things that I make with it/use it in;

Aubergine And Spinach Bhaji

Aubergine Bhaji With Balsamic Vinegar (Dry Curry)

Aubergine Bhaji from Sri Lanka (Dry Curry))

Aubergine Bhaji, South Indian (Dry Curry)

Aubergine Cutlets

Aubergine Do Pyaza, A Bhaji (Dry Curry)

Aubergine Mash 1 - Traditional North Indian

Aubergine Mash 2 - With Garlic

Aubergine Mash 3 - Without Onion And Tomatoes

Aubergine Mash 4 - Mediterranean Style

Aubergine Mash 5 - With Mooli White Radish

Aubergine Mash 6 - Chokha From Bihar

Aubergine Mash - 7 Baba Ganoush

Aubergine Mash 7 - Easy Method

Aubergine Pakora or Fritters

Aubergine Pasta

Aubergine Pickle

Aubergine Pickle Style Bhaji (Dry Curry)

Aubergine Pilaf Rice

Aubergine Raita (Yoghurt) - 1

Aubergine Raita (Yoghurt) - 2

Aubergine Stir Fried Bengali Style, A Bhaji (Dry Curry)

Aubergine and Potato Bhaji (Dry Curry)

Aubergine and White Mooli Radish Bhaji (Dry Curry)

Baingan Ka Saalan, An Aubergine Curry To Serve With a Biryani

Bulgur Wheat Pilaf with Aubergine and Capsicum

Courgette and Aubergine Salad

Fried or Grilled Aubergine Slices 1

Fried or Grilled Aubergine Slices 2

Mixed Vegetable Bhaji 1 (Dry Curry ), North Indian

Mixed Vegetable Bhaji 2 (Dry Curry ), South Indian

Mixed Vegetable Bhaji 3 (Dry Curry )

Mixed Vegetable Curry 5

Mixed Vegetable Pakora or Bhajis - 1, Fritters (Mamta's)

Pau or Pav Bhaji

Potato, Aubergine and Drumstick Bhaji (Dry Curry)

Roast Mixed Vegetables

Roasted Mediterranean Style Pickled Vegetables

Savoury Indian Vermicelli 2, with Aubergines and Paneer cheese

Spaghetti and Aubergine Bolognese Bake

Steamed Aubergines with Spicy Topping - A Bhaji (Dry Curry)

Stuffed Aubergine 1

Stuffed Aubergine 3 With Besan (Bengal Gram Flour)

Stuffed Aubergines 2 with Paneer Cheese (A Bhaji/Dry Curry)

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:41 pm

I make quite a few of the above, but would add
Armenian style stuffed aubergines with lamb mince
Imam Bayeldi
Chinese dry fried aubergines
Chinese Fish Fragrant aubergines (no fish content, it just uses the spices traditionally used for fish) This is Fuchsia Dunlop's recipe, which I use
https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/332921/fish-fragrant-aubergines-by-fuschia-dunlop

Smoky aubergine dips, Mutabal and Baba Ganouj
http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/one-hundred-and-one-mezze-5-mutabal.html

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Badger's Mate » Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:53 pm

Wot she said. I was going to add Imam Bayledi and a Ken Hom recipe that's not a million miles from the FD one, albeit using yellow bean sauce.

Plus caponata. and Madhur Jaffrey's Baingan Achari recipe.

I also get through a lot of Patak's Brinjal pickle. Mrs B prefers Waitrose Aubergine pickle, so we have his and hers, as we do with sherry. :D

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Oct 13, 2017 2:04 pm

Madhur Jaffrey's Baingan Achari recipe.


Ooh, forgot her Aubergines in the Pickling Style

And Patak's aubergine chutney, I can eat it with a spoon

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Renée » Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:20 pm

1: Imam bayildi

2: Caponata

3: Moussaka

4: Ratatouille

What a great thread and I shall be getting lots of ideas from other posters!

Sue, thanks very much for the Syrian Foodie link, which I am finding very interesting.

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:55 pm

Yes, I'm a huge Kano (Syrian Foodie) fan Renee
In pre war Syria we were told that Arabs hiring a cook look first for a Lebanese and second for a Syrian, the cuisines are very similar. We ate well in Syria in those days

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Renée » Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:56 pm

I hadn't realised that you had lived over there, Sue. I love the flavours of Middle Eastern dishes and have just noticed Pomegranate Molasses Hummus on the site, which I will make tomorrow, because I have all the ingredients.

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Oct 13, 2017 5:52 pm

Renée wrote:I hadn't realised that you had lived over there, Sue. I love the flavours of Middle Eastern dishes and have just noticed Pomegranate Molasses Hummus on the site, which I will make tomorrow, because I have all the ingredients.

I didn't live there, I just visited! It was a very memorable holiday
Aleppo :(

18 years ago they didn't oddly enough use a lot of pomegranate molasses but as Kano says, fashion....

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:11 pm

Stokey Sue wrote:I make quite a few of the above, but would add
Armenian style stuffed aubergines with lamb mince
Imam Bayeldi
Chinese dry fried aubergines
Chinese Fish Fragrant aubergines (no fish content, it just uses the spices traditionally used for fish) This is Fuchsia Dunlop's recipe, which I use
https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/332921/fish-fragrant-aubergines-by-fuschia-dunlop

Smoky aubergine dips, Mutabal and Baba Ganouj
http://syrianfoodie.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/one-hundred-and-one-mezze-5-mutabal.html



@ Stokey Sue,

Wow !! I can see that you are quite a fan of Aubergine !

Thank you for all your feedback ..

Have a lovely weekend ..
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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:14 pm

Renée wrote:1: Imam bayildi

2: Caponata

3: Moussaka

4: Ratatouille

What a great thread and I shall be getting lots of ideas from other posters!

Sue, thanks very much for the Syrian Foodie link, which I am finding very interesting.



@ Renée,

Thank you for all your feedback ..

Oh, yes, Caponata and Moussaka ..

Wonderful selection ..

Glad you have become inspired ..

Have a lovely evening ..
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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:18 pm

Stokey Sue,


Thank you very much for all these wonderful Lebanese and Syrian Aubergine Mezze / Dishes ..

Shall check out your links on my way home from Lisbon ..

Have a lovely weekend ..
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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Mamta1 » Sat Oct 14, 2017 7:41 am

by Stokey Sue » Fri Oct 13, 2017 12:41 pm
I make quite a few of the above, but would add
Armenian style stuffed aubergines with lamb mince
Imam Bayeldi

For some reason, I have not made Imam Bayeldi. It looks tasty. Which recipe do you follow Sue? I have bought a nice, fresh aubergine yesterday.

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Gillthepainter » Sat Oct 14, 2017 8:54 am

Mamta
That's a rather lovely list there. Nice one.

Grilled aubergines and puttanesca sauce here.


I still salt them pre-use, does everyone else?

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Oct 14, 2017 9:45 am

Gillthepainter wrote:I still salt them pre-use, does everyone else?

Sometimes, but much less than I used to

Ian did a trial and found that pre-salted absorbed less oil when fried, but I seldom fry, I spray with oil and bake, easier as well as less oil

Modern aubergines don't seem to be bitter so there's no need to salt for that, only possibly for texture

There's a recurrent thing in some Indian food recipes that all seem to quote each other without thinking, you are told to take a couple of large aubergines, slice them, then "sprinkle with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to draw the bitter juices"
Now I don't believe a pinch of salt will draw a lot of juice, bitter or otherwise, from a pound of aubergines. Anyone else spotted this?
Last edited by Stokey Sue on Sat Oct 14, 2017 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Badger's Mate » Sat Oct 14, 2017 10:02 am

I think it's the same with courgettes, by all means salt for flavour or texture, but the amount of salt needed to extract a lot of juice would be, well, quite salty.

I agree about frying these things; brown them in the oven and you dry them out a bit anyway. Bitterness doesn't seem to be an issue.

I cannot imagine how I left ratatouille or moussaka off my original list.

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Joanbunting » Sat Oct 14, 2017 11:11 am

Most of the above because we love aubergines but I also make Papeton which is sort of aubergine terrine form Avignon said to have been first made at the times the popes were there.

Also from around these parts, an aubergine and lamb tagine.

I almost always cook my aubergines in the oven except when I griddle them to wrap around hallumiwhen ,] I just brush the thin slices with olive oil.

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Mamta1 » Sat Oct 14, 2017 11:44 am

Thanks Gill. I love aubergines and make them in all sorts of ways, sometimes pan frying chunks simply in oil with a little Maggie's seasoning sauce.
I still salt them pre-use, does everyone else?

I stopped doing that quite a while ago. I used to salt and scrub tops of small cucumbers too, to remove bitterness, haven't done that either for a long time. I haven't had a bitter cucumber in years, they have been bread out I think. I am not sure if these things work anyway!

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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Sat Oct 14, 2017 11:58 am

The key is to only purchase Male Aubergines.

How to tell the difference is very simple.

1) Turn the aubergine upside down and look for a tiny dot or indented dot.

2) Females have large oval shaped navels ( indents ) ..

3) Females have lots of seeds which cause a light bitterness.


I prepare mine the traditional way, salted.


Thank you for all your feedback ..
Have a nice weekend ..
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Re: Aubergine / Eggplant: What do you prepare ?

Postby Mamta1 » Sat Oct 14, 2017 12:19 pm

1a1.jpg
1a1.jpg (102.22 KiB) Viewed 2602 times
The key is to only purchase Male Aubergines.

Never knew that! I will have to look at photos to know the difference, have you got any?
Which is this one;

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