How Do I Cook Eggplant?

[misdiagnosed6yrs]

I bought an eggplant.

So, I have chicken or turkey that I can use. I have peppers, mushrooms, garlic and oil. Oh and Rice of course.

I stir fry everything so I was hoping someone could tell me what to do with the eggplant in a stir fry. Not sure if it goes first and then remove.. then stir fry the chicken. or is it like other veggies, so I can just toss it with the rest after the chic has been on for 3 minutes.

Or any other ideas besides stir fry? I want to do this for dinner. BUT.. feel free to keep posting with some great ideas.

Bobbi

[celiac-mommy]

I bought an eggplant.

So, I have chicken or turkey that I can use. I have peppers, mushrooms, garlic and oil. Oh and Rice of course.

I stir fry everything so I was hoping someone could tell me what to do with the eggplant in a stir fry. Not sure if it goes first and then remove.. then stir fry the chicken. or is it like other veggies, so I can just toss it with the rest after the chic has been on for 3 minutes.

Or any other ideas besides stir fry? I want to do this for dinner. BUT.. feel free to keep posting with some great ideas.

Bobbi

You're supposed to 'drain' the eggplant before cooking it, it contains a lot of liquid. I watched a program on the food network one day because I was determined to cook something with eggplant. I was quite disappointed to learn what a pain in the rear it was and then found out at the end that it's pretty much a waste of time because there's basically no nutritional value--unless you like the stuff, which I don't. I'm not really sure this was helpful to you....

To drain it though, you can sprinkle with a little salt and set out for a while, or roast in oven. For the stir fry, I would cook it first in case it does put off too much liquid. It's sorta like tofu and absorbs a lot of what you flavor it with, so I would start light on the seasonings and add as needed. If it were me, I would stir fry the chicken with the peppers, mushrooms and garlic in the oil, serve over hot rice and use the eggplant as your centerpiece on the table because it's a nice color

[Takala]

There are many myths about eggplant, starting with that "you must salt it and then perform other ritualistic destruction upon before throwing it out because it now tastes bad"

The one true thing about eggplant is that it is a sponge, it absorbs whatever you cook it in, whether it be water, olive oil, garlic, wine, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, wheat free soy sauce... so whatever you cook it with, be sure you use really high quality oil and other seasonings.

The seeds can be irritating to some sensitive people's digestive tracts, so you can first peel the thing (cutting off the skin and green underneath is what actually gets rid of the nasty bitter taste) and then cut it into pieces either lengthwise or crosswise and then cut out most of the seeds. Then cut it into chunks. The eggplant is now ready to cook.

Because eggplant is so incredibly spongelike, I will water saute the stuff in about a half inch of water into which I've also tossed some extra virgin olive oil and either lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and a clove of garlic, the water quickly cooks off leaving the eggplant soft and seasoned. Otherwise it takes immense amounts of oil to get it to the same fried stage. I then tend to throw a jar of safe spaghetti sauce in the pan or a big can of tomato puree, some seasonings, heat it thru and add feta cheese I've diced up. This is a killer pasta sauce over rice noodles.

Larger slices of cooked eggplant can also be used in an eggplant bake similiar to lasagne, layered with tomato sauce and cheese.

Eggplant can also be cooked with other vegetables, but be forewarned it steals all the oil in the pan so the whole thing will try to stick unless you either don't use very much eggplant, or give it a headstart with its own oil supply or try the water/olive oil trick.

Eggplant can also be sliced, dipped in egg and salted, herbed gluten-free flour, and then baked until tender.

[celiac-mommy]

There are many myths about eggplant, starting with that "you must salt it and then perform other ritualistic destruction upon before throwing it out because it now tastes bad"

The one true thing about eggplant is that it is a sponge, it absorbs whatever you cook it in, whether it be water, olive oil, garlic, wine, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, wheat free soy sauce... so whatever you cook it with, be sure you use really high quality oil and other seasonings.

The seeds can be irritating to some sensitive people's digestive tracts, so you can first peel the thing (cutting off the skin and green underneath is what actually gets rid of the nasty bitter taste) and then cut it into pieces either lengthwise or crosswise and then cut out most of the seeds. Then cut it into chunks. The eggplant is now ready to cook.

Because eggplant is so incredibly spongelike, I will water saute the stuff in about a half inch of water into which I've also tossed some extra virgin olive oil and either lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and a clove of garlic, the water quickly cooks off leaving the eggplant soft and seasoned. Otherwise it takes immense amounts of oil to get it to the same fried stage. I then tend to throw a jar of safe spaghetti sauce in the pan or a big can of tomato puree, some seasonings, heat it thru and add feta cheese I've diced up. This is a killer pasta sauce over rice noodles.

Larger slices of cooked eggplant can also be used in an eggplant bake similiar to lasagne, layered with tomato sauce and cheese.

Eggplant can also be cooked with other vegetables, but be forewarned it steals all the oil in the pan so the whole thing will try to stick unless you either don't use very much eggplant, or give it a headstart with its own oil supply or try the water/olive oil trick.

Eggplant can also be sliced, dipped in egg and salted, herbed gluten-free flour, and then baked until tender.

Good to know! I wish I had talked with you before I watched that show, I probably would have tried it--even though, I still don't like the stuff I'm always trying to try new things!

[Jestgar]

I love eggplant.

grilled; brushed with oil and sprinkled with salt

broiled; slice not too thick, drain (as above) or cook on a rack on a pan, broil one side, flip, put mozzarella cheese, tomato and garlic on it, bake until cheese is all bubbly. actual cooking time depends on how thick it's sliced

[TrillumHunter]

Baba ganoush-roasted eggplant dip! Yummy! You can do it without the tahini but I love the stuff and it keeps pretty much forever in the cabinet so it's a good thing to have around. This much more than a dip at our house. We eat it over pasta, spread it over pizza crust, and mix it with rice.

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