Greetings all!
I hope you find this email helpful, informative, and not
dreadfully dull 😊. Any additional
questions…feel free to get in touch!
There are many varieties of Eggplants in the world and I
haven’t been able to get a number that makes sense to me, but it’s certainly
more than the one basic American Eggplant we see in our grocery stores (what we
think of as an Italian Eggplant is more like an American Eggplant used for
Italian or Italian American dishes…Italian Eggplants are usually smaller than
the American variety). Here’s a few of some others…
12
Different Types of Eggplant - Home Stratosphere
The gang at Green Thumb Farm have a basic food philosophy
that a varied diet is a healthy diet, and the diversity of what we get at our
CSA shows that. And of course our farmers hope you’ll take advantage of that
variety and learn to like as many vegetables as they do!
Spice Up Your Life—Eat a Varied Diet - Ask The Scientists
If the Eggplants you got in your CSA Share today were long
and green, long and purple, or basically any that aren’t round or eggshaped,
they’re Asian (the green ones are Thai and the purple are Japanese). You can
cook these as you would your basic Japanese Eggplant (here’s a healthy version
of a classic recipe from the gang at the Cleveland Clinic)…
Recipe: Japanese Eggplant Stir-fry – Cleveland Clinic
If you got any Eggplants that are round (green/white or all
white) they are Thai, and are as common in Thailand as the large black ones are
in America.
Personally, I learn to cook and expand my palate by eating
out. If you go to a Thai restaurant and these round green and white Thai
Eggplants are in any of the dishes, you’re going to a more authentic Thai
restaurant. Thai USA in Huntington has them from time to time when they’re in
season, or when they can get a hold of them, and Sripraphai in Williston Park
has them on a regular basis (the most “authentic” Thai restaurant on Long
Island AND they even have a separate vegan section in their menu).
I showed the round white and green/white Eggplants to a Thai
chef acquaintance of mine after the CSA last night. His eyes lit up and he told
me how fresh they were, how he never sees them this fresh in the stores in the
USA, and that they looked REALLY good. He then proceeded to grab a few of the
green/white ones and made me a sampling of a dish he eats and likes ( VERY hot
and VERY funky, using a fish/shrimp paste someone brought him from Thailand).
Some other Thai folks added to the conversation, and then I got home and did
some research, and this is what I learned…
Get to know your vegetable…
- How to store…bottom compartment of
fridge in a paper bag and could last up to a week
- How to prepare and what
to look for…
Wash, cut off stems, and cut in half, or quarters, or
six pieces depending on the size of the Eggplant (my Thai friends seem to vote
for six pieces if large enough). When you cut them up, if the seeds inside are
dark brown and concentrated in a ball in the center, scoop them out as they’re
a little hard (if they’re white/beige…no prob just leave them in). You don’t
want to try to remove all the seeds as there’d be no Eggplant left so seed
removal is to be avoided if possible.
- How to cook/eat…
Eat the green & white stripy ones raw (and use
the round all white ones cooked) sliced thin, or in quarters, or six pieces and
either put in salads or use as a crudité with dips – in Thailand they eat this
with funky spicy Shrimp Paste dips.
Here is a popular very traditional recipe for a dip,
but I would probably try to eat this with something like Hummus for starters
and figure things out from there (for me this recipe would be on my list to try
once I get into exploring cooking Thai food)…
Spicy Shrimp Paste Dip » Real Thai Recipes » Authentic Thai
recipes from Thailand
Again, a very traditional Thai
Salad using Thai Eggplants raw (though I will cut them up and use them in a
salad of my own creation using an Asian style soy sauce/sesame oil based
dressing…and leave this one for a later exploration of Thai cooking)…
Northern Thai Eggplant Salad Recipe - ThaiTable.com
When cooking Thai Eggplants…cut in
half/quarters/six pieces depending on the size…scoop out seeds if darker brown
and concentrated in the center of the Eggplant, otherwise don’t bother taking
the seeds out.
My chef friend says these remind
him a bit of Tomatillos and I agreed, except for the fact that Tomatillos are
most often used for Salsa Verde and not so much as a vegetable (as far as my
limited knowledge of Mexican food goes). But I got it as far as the texture
goes (crunchy goodness 😊).
You can include these in any Thai
Curry dish (see recipe below), roast them (see recipe below) or put in a basic
stir fry BUT you want to put these in first/early as they take about 10 to 20
minutes to soften up.
They would also work braised…
Braised Eggplant recipe - Simple Chinese Food
Can they be steamed? I’m not coming
up with recipes for the round Thai Eggplants steamed, though the long ones can
be used like Japanese/Chinese long Eggplants are and they can be steamed.
HOWEVER, the bottom line is…why not? And who’s going to stop you? 😊
Can you boil them? Again…who’s
going to stop you? If so, I’d try to follow directions for a Tomatillo, and
then put the softened Eggplants in some other dish (or freeze for later use).
Cooked Tomatillo Salsa - Recipe - FineCooking
Recipes…
Vegan
Roasted Thai Eggplant with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
https://olivesfordinner.com/2014/06/roasted-thai-eggplant-with-cherry.html
Thai Eggplant Curry
https://seasonandthyme.com/thai-eggplant-curry-and-all-about-thai-eggplants/
Thai Eggplant Curry – another one (I’d leave out the
Lemongrass…challenging to find, Chili Peppers if you don’t like spicy dishes,
and Thai Basil…also challenging to find…and am sure it would turn out just
fine…and I’d probably add more veg like Carrots and use Green Peppers if didn’t
have Red Peppers)
Thai
Eggplant Recipe - Spicy Thai Curry! - MyFoodChannel
Non-vegan
Green Curry with Chicken and Thai Eggplants
https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/green-curry-with-chicken-and-thai-eggplant
Why do they call an Eggplant an Eggplant? If you got any of
those larger white ones, I think you already know the answer 😊.
Additional info…
https://delishably.com/world-cuisine/thai_eggplant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_eggplant
https://www.thaitable.com/thai/ingredient/eggplant
How to Cook Thai Eggplant (leaf.tv)
ENJOY!!!
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