The healthy and versatile eggplant

If there is one vegetable that charms and attracts me with its gorgeous bright purple colour and beauty, it is eggplant. Eggplant is also known as brinjal or guinea squash. Although I am not a picky eater when it comes to vegetables, eggplant holds a special place in my heart.
There are some vegetables that I started eating as I grew up — and this one has been one of my preferred ones since childhood. Eggplants are available all the year round in the market but are their best from August to October.
They grow in a manner like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grow several feet in height. There are some eggplant dishes that are my preferred ones, like the bharta that is roasted eggplant mashed and sautéed with abundant onions and tomatoes. Another dish is from Calcutta, where they make eggplant fritters called baingan bhaji locally. Then there is the ratatouille-filled eggplants, wherein fried English vegetables are sautéed with tomato and filled in scooped out eggplants. Then comes the evergreen moussaka, which is grilled eggplant layered with meat sauce and then baked. My Arabic eggplant favourite is the moutabel, which is a spiced eggplant dip served as a mezzeh. My recent favourite is roasted mashed eggplants sautéed with minced chicken and herbs, and is served hot — I call it chicken bharta. I will be sharing the recipe in the coming weeks.

Health aspects
Eggplant not only looks good but is also high in nutrients and has many health benefits, so one should include it at least once a week in their meals for its nutritional benefits. Eggplant also provides us with dietary fibre. Research shows the presence of antioxidant compounds on the eggplant skin that protects skin membrane from damage. It is also a good source of iron, copper, manganese and vitamin B. Eggplants belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which also includes tomatoes, bell peppers, capsicum and potatoes.

Cooking tips
Always remember to use a stainless steel knife while cutting eggplant as it is reactive to other metals. Immediately after cutting, place the eggplants in salt water or sprinkle some salt over them. This helps to remove the butter taste of the eggplants and will aso make your dish taste better. You can roast it, fry it, stew it or grill it marinated with some olive oil, herbs and seasoning.
You can add eggplant to a variety of dishes like sambhar, stew, pasta sauce, fritters, and appetisers. When you cut an eggplant, be vigilant for any insects inside as the chances of eggplant infested with insects is quite high if it hasn’t been stored properly. Do not store the cut eggplants for long — instead you can keep it whole for few days under refrigeration.

How to choose a good eggplant
One common concern and question is that of choosing a fresh and good eggplant. The following tips will ensure you’ll choose a good eggplant and will enjoy cooking it as well as relishing it. Always choose a small to medium sized eggplant, as the bitterness of eggplant increases as it matures. So look for young vegetables, so that your dish cooks faster and will taste better too. The next sign of freshness is the skin of eggplant. The skin should be smooth, shiny and bright. See if there are any blemishes, cuts or wrinkles as this denotes an old eggplant or improper storage of eggplant. The vegetable should feel light in comparison to its volume when you hold it in hand. Also when you press your thumb against the skin it should spring back leaving no finger mark. There should not be any hole in the skin as this denotes an infested eggplant.
When you keep all the above points in mind while choosing and cooking, the result will be a delicate and unique -flavoured eggplant that you and your family will definitely enjoy.

Baked eggplant

Ingredients

Eggplant 10 no
Butter    1 tbsp
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves 3-4 no
Corn kernel ½ cup
Bell peppers red and yellow 1 each        
Tomato 2 no
Oregano 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Crushed pepper to taste
Oregano fresh, chopped 1 tsp
Parsley, chopped 2 tbsp
Grana padano, grated ½ cup

Method
Halve the eggplant lengthwise and scoop out the centre and keep aside.
Deep fry the scooped out eggplant shell over medium heat till they are cooked, remove on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
Heat oil and butter in a heavy bottom pan and add crushed garlic and sauté till the raw smell is gone.
Add corn kernel and diced bell pepper and diced tomatoes and scooped out eggplant and stir over medium flame.
Once the vegetables are soft and tender, sprinkle some oregano and adjust the seasoning.
Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley and place the prepared mixture in the scooped eggplants.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place the eggplants in a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve hot garnished with parsley leaf.