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Old 10-17-2007, 04:54 PM   #16  
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Can someone define 'purging the eggplant' and 'salting the eggplant' a little better? And 'letting it stand'? My husband was being romantic a few weeks ago and bought me a heart-shaped eggplant, but the last time I tried to cook eggplant it didn't go over very well.
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Old 10-17-2007, 10:25 PM   #17  
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Originally Posted by wifey bullseye View Post
Can someone define 'purging the eggplant' and 'salting the eggplant' a little better? And 'letting it stand'? My husband was being romantic a few weeks ago and bought me a heart-shaped eggplant, but the last time I tried to cook eggplant it didn't go over very well.
http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-ti...-eggplants.asp

For purge instructions, go about 3/4 of the way down the page
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Old 10-18-2007, 12:54 AM   #18  
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Basically the idea is that there is a bitterness to some eggplants (and I think this is particularly true of the commercial varieties that have been shipped from afar) and that this bitterness can be purged by salting the eggplant. You can do the salting either by pouring vast quantities of salt over your sliced or cubed eggplant, or by soaking the sliced or cubed eggplant in very salty water. I usually opt for the latter. At any rate, you allow the salt to penetrate the eggplant for 30 mins, and then rinse all the salt out, and with it the bitter eggplant juice. You can actually see a dark liquid that leaves the eggplant after salting via either method. It's very traditional to start by processing eggplant in this way--most recipes advise it.

My claim is that eggplant is never bitter, in my experience, and therefore the salting is an old wives tale and a total waste of time. However, I seem to be a class of 1, on this one. Everyone in the universe salts their eggplant. (My indian, french, middle eastern and american cookbooks ALL call for salting eggplant.)

edited to add
Oh! I just remembered this! Another reason to salt eggplant is to stop it from being so darn absorbent. You can throw oil at eggplant all day long, and it will just keep on soaking it up. I believe that the salting--and subsequent use of water--helps to stop the eggplant from being such an oil-lover. However, I have learned to cook eggplant with just the teensiest bit of cooking spray (and other non-fat liquids), so this isn't really a problem for me.

That said, one of my favorite eggplant recipes is to cube it, marinate it with a ton of ground spices (cumin, coriander, tumeric, cayenne, salt, pepper, etc) and then fry it in oil. It's delicious. I make a sweet and sour tomato chutney that goes perfectly with this indian style fried eggplant. Not friendly to the dieter, of course, so I haven't prepared eggplant this way in eons. But it is good!

Last edited by baffled111; 10-18-2007 at 01:01 AM.
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Old 10-18-2007, 02:04 PM   #19  
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The reason I'll sometimes purge the eggplant is to give it a different texture. Once you salt the eggplant and let it sit for a while, it takes on a completely different texture and can be prepared in different ways. One of my favorite ways to prepare it is to make eggplant "pasta".

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._17752,00.html

However, I don't normally cook my eggplant in oil. For example, today I had eggplant for lunch. I dip raw (unpurged) eggplant slices in egg, then roll in mashed potato flakes, then bake in the oven until crispy.

So sometimes I'll purge it and sometimes I won't. It just depends on what I'm making or how I feel like eating it.
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Old 10-18-2007, 02:41 PM   #20  
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do you think that instead of potato flakes, panko would work? and that recipe you posted sounds delicious
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Old 10-18-2007, 03:03 PM   #21  
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I've never salted my eggplant. I use it in roasted mixed vegetables marinated in oil and balsamic vinegar, and I make baba ganouj. It's a great vegetable!
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Old 10-19-2007, 04:11 PM   #22  
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do you think that instead of potato flakes, panko would work? and that recipe you posted sounds delicious
Well, I can't answer that because I don't know what panko is
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Old 10-19-2007, 04:20 PM   #23  
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Panko is Japanese Whole Wheat bread crumbs. My hubby turned me onto it, and we use it in our meatloaf, our not-fried chicken...its really cool to use.
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Old 10-20-2007, 11:47 AM   #24  
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Panko is very, very delicious. It's somehow crispier than breadcrumbs and doesn't get as soggy once it sits.

One of our favorite meals involves calamari steaks (almost no calories) coated in panko and pan fried with either a bit of olive oil or cooking spray. Squirt some lemon juice on top and add a spinach salad and it's a fabulous meal.
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Old 10-20-2007, 12:55 PM   #25  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by baffled111 View Post
Basically the idea is that there is a bitterness to some eggplants (and I think this is particularly true of the commercial varieties that have been shipped from afar) and that this bitterness can be purged by salting the eggplant. You can do the salting either by pouring vast quantities of salt over your sliced or cubed eggplant, or by soaking the sliced or cubed eggplant in very salty water.

edited to add
Oh! I just remembered this! Another reason to salt eggplant is to stop it from being so darn absorbent. You can throw oil at eggplant all day long, and it will just keep on soaking it up. I believe that the salting--and subsequent use of water--helps to stop the eggplant from being such an oil-lover. However, I have learned to cook eggplant with just the teensiest bit of cooking spray (and other non-fat liquids), so this isn't really a problem for me.
I never rinse mine after salting, I just salt to help the texture/oil. I've also learned that eggplant LOOKS dry when you are cooking it in low oil, but it is ok. BUT that is one reason if I am roasting eggplant and other veggies, I roast them separately and then mix them when they are done, otherwise the eggplant steals the oil from the other veggies.

I dont use VAST quantities either, just a sprinkle...about what I would use for eating it.
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Old 10-20-2007, 11:38 PM   #26  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wifey bullseye View Post
Panko is Japanese Whole Wheat bread crumbs. My hubby turned me onto it, and we use it in our meatloaf, our not-fried chicken...its really cool to use.
Thanks for explaining

Another fave way I like to fix eggplant is to cut it into slices (at least 1/4" thick) and spray both sides with butter-flavored Pam. Then I put them on a baking sheet and sprinkle a little bit of parmesan cheese onto the slices. Then I top each one with a thick slice of tomato, then sprinkle again with a little more parmesan cheese. Then I bake in the oven (about 350 degrees) for at least 20 minutes or so or until they're sizzling and hot.

You can add your own spices to this by sprinkling the spices onto the epplant slices. I'll also sometimes slip a slice of avocado in between the eggplant and the tomato for extra flavor and nutrition.

Really delicious.

Last edited by LLV; 10-20-2007 at 11:39 PM.
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Old 10-20-2007, 11:57 PM   #27  
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Thanks for all the great ideas! (and the whole idea of these threads! I DO like vegetables when someone else cooks them..... Now I'll have to be the chef!)

I love eggplant, but I've always just chopped it up and fried it in oil, or dipped slices in eggs and fried those. It never occurred to me to saute them (MUCH nicer word) in water and garlic -- or all the other ideas. Thanks again!
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Old 10-23-2007, 12:17 PM   #28  
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Ok, another eggplant question: tonight I am making a Lentil Eggplant lasagna. How long do I have to purge the eggplant, and how long should I bake my lasagna? (If I want to serve dinner at 6-630, what time should I start prepping?)
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Old 10-23-2007, 02:10 PM   #29  
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30 minutes with the salt for the purging. You'll want to broil the eggplant before you use it in the lasagna and that will take about 15-20 minutes. I'm not sure how long it will need to bake: 20-30 minutes, probably. I wouldn't start any later than 5.
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Old 10-24-2007, 12:29 PM   #30  
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Thumbs up It was a hit!

My Lentil Eggplant lasagna was great! It was delicious, not soupy (like my reg. lasagna attempts), the lentils add a lot of texture, the eggplant wasn't slimy...but there is one major flaw...

it was so salty, the leftovers are almost too hard to eat. I think this was a result of salting the eggplant. I wiped off as much as possible (without rinsing)...what did i do wrong? I want to try this again (it was that good), but need to work on salting the eggplant a little more.
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