Eggplant “Unagi”: Easy Recipe! - The Woks of Life (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Japanese eggplant and regular eggplant? ›

What does a Japanese Eggplant Taste Like? Japanese eggplants offer a sweeter, more tender, and more delicate taste than standard American eggplants. Because they're smaller and longer, they possess fewer seeds. This rids them of that typical vegetal bitterness that you'll find in some eggplant varieties.

Nutritional Value

Eggplants also provide some magnesium to regulate optimal nerve functioning, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, and other nutrients, including manganese, vitamin K, niacin, folate, and B vitamins. In Ayurveda, White eggplants have traditionally been used in various treatments for asthma.

You also won't find eggplant's stereotypical bitterness here thanks to their smaller seeds, and the skin is thinner than the large purple varieties. If you're following a recipe that calls for peeling the skin or salting the flesh to pull out the bitterness, you can go ahead and skip those steps.

Older recipes call for salting eggplant to draw out the bitter juices, but today's eggplants are less bitter (unless very large), so salting is largely unnecessary. It will, however, help the spongy flesh absorb less oil and crisp up like a dream.

However, eggplants also contain a substance, solanine, which is used to defend themselves against fungi and insects. It is precisely on this substance that the bitter taste of the eggplants depends. To eliminate it, the most common methods are soaking in water and vinegar and the salt technique.

The best place to store eggplant is not in the refrigerator, but at room temperature, where it's likely to last longer. Store eggplant in a cool spot, away from direct sunlight, and use it as soon as possible after harvesting or buying.

One of the most popular was the long, thin, purple eggplant from Taiwan known as Ping Tung. This is an exceptional eggplant with sweet, pleasant tasting flesh. The plants are incredibly prolific and produce throughout the entire season.

When looking at the exterior of the eggplant, check the stem and cap. Both should be green and fresh-looking. If they are starting to fade in color, that's an indicator that the vegetable may be spoiling. You'll also want to toss the eggplant if there is any mold on the stem or cap.

If there are white, powdery spots on the leaves of your eggplants, your plant may have powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a common disease which affects a wide variety of vegetable crops including eggplant, peppers and tomatoes, all in the nightshade family.

Including zucchini in everyday diet will undoubtedly improve your immune system and overall health. Yet, zucchini is a bit healthier than the eggplant. By consuming 100 grams of zucchini you'll' receive 16kcal, while when you eat eggplant in the same amount, you will get 24 kcal.

Why is eggplant so hard to cook? ›

Eggplant is about 80 to 90 percent water, so when you put them in the oven they need space to evaporate all that water and caramelize properly," says Covarrubias. Give them a toss halfway through the cooking process to make sure they're cooked evenly, too.

1. Chinese Eggplant. Stieglitz/Getty Images. The Chinese eggplant — not to be confused with the similar-looking Japanese eggplant — has a long, narrow body with a light to mid-toned purple exterior and white flesh. Because it has fewer seeds that the familiar globe (American) variety, it's less bitter in taste.

Is Eggplant Good for Dogs? Eggplant is rich in fiber and antioxidants. A small amount of plain, cooked eggplant is fine to share with your pooch and can even be a good way to boost their fiber intake. Eggplant contains essential nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals like potassium and manganese.

Eggplant is about 80 to 90 percent water, so when you put them in the oven they need space to evaporate all that water and caramelize properly," says Covarrubias. Give them a toss halfway through the cooking process to make sure they're cooked evenly, too.

Soaking eggplant in water and vinegar helps remove some of the vegetable's natural bitterness. This step also helps preserve some of the skin's color so it stays a vibrant purple even after cooking.

Before you cook

Before you start cooking an eggplant, you should get rid of any liquid residues and coat it well so it won't absorb oil. For this reason, slice your fruit (yes it's a fruit) and place it in a colander. Add a generous amount of salt and let it sit over the sink until all the liquids are eliminated.