3 Tips on How to Get the Most out of Aubergines

There are a lot of sayings about eggplants and their usage. Someone, for example, once said that “The secret is to cook the aubergines the day before and let them dry of all the oil they drank in cooking.”. The famous Israeli-English chef Yotam Ottolenghi would also add: “Steaming maintains some of the aubergine flesh’s texture, which doesn’t happen if you cook it in any other way.” Let’s leave aside other people’s comments for a while, shall we?! Here’s our list of 3 tips on how to get the most out of eggplants:

1. Salt them and thank them later

You don’t salt aubergines before cooking? Big mistake! OK, it’s not big enough to ruin a meal, but using salt is actually worthwhile. That’s because it can soak all the bitterness. The process is simple. Just slice the eggplant however you wish and put it in a bowl. Season with salt and let it stay for no less than 15 minutes until you see a brownish liquid on the bottom. That’s the bitterness we’re talking about. The idea behind salting the veggies is really cool, we guarantee. Life can sometimes taste bitter, but such tastes have no place when it comes to aubergines!

2. Bake them slowly and long enough

Well, most people prefer to cook the whole eggplants or at least half-sliced. We can’t argue about the fact that the results are…amazing! Aubergine’s creamy texture can be the perfect addition the any appetizer or even a main course. By the way, have you tried half-cutting a ‘blue tomato’, pouring some tahini on top and serving it with some yoghurt and a pinch of flavorful herbs? Even reading about it makes your mouth water, doesn’t it?! To get the most out of the cooking process, we would suggest you take your time. Don’t rush, no matter how desperate you wanna taste it! Leave the veggies long enough in the oven so that they can have the perfect taste.

3. Fry them

Crunchy on the outside, delicate on the inside. What is it? We might disappoint you as we’re not talking about fried chicken wings this time! It’s fried eggplants, of course. Trust us, there’s no reason for you to give up on such an amazing starter. How about mixing some chickpea flour and wheat flour and roll those aubergine slices nicely? You can even use rye or whatever type of flour you like. Eggplants will always have a different note, but still taste great! Do you like aubergines? Share with us in the comments down below! Meanwhile, read more on our Blog section: 7 Suggestions on When & How to Drink Coffee Alevropita – a Greek pie To Remember 3 Uncommon Questions about Beer that you Wouldn’t hear Often