Chinese eggplant

[juju375]

Having trouble cooking AND taste of these Chinese eggplants. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

[fliggie]

What is the particular trouble you are having? I just cut four or five yesterday out of my garden, still in the "baby" stage--halved them, put a little olive oil, some kosher salt, and a couple of basil leaves on top, and grilled them in my panini press for a quick topping to a grilled salad. They were very tasty.

[juju375]

Thank you for your reply. I tried to fry slices similar to reg eggplant and the centers would not cook properly or taste good. Did I overcook them?

[theguythatcooks]

[post deleted by Suzanne]

[caviar2003]

what is chinese eggplant? I just bought some long thin lavender colored eggplants at my oriental market and cooked them Sechzwan style which is delicious. Does this sound like the eggplant you are talking about?

[juju375]

Yes, caviar2003, that is what I have. When I cooked the slices they became very musshy and had a very bitter taste, actually, I could almost call the taste sour. Could the eggplant be "old"? Thank you.

[fliggie]

Originally Posted by juju375

Yes, caviar2003, that is what I have. When I cooked the slices they became very musshy and had a very bitter taste, actually, I could almost call the taste sour. Could the eggplant be "old"? Thank you.

I guess some this depends on how you cooked them, what you cooked them in, etc. If they became very soft, yes, they are overcooked. If they are "old", the meat of the eggplant would have been brown and soft instead of taut and off-white. There's no mistaking a old eggplant, b/c they rot and begin to change color. I've never had one taste bitter--they are usually very sweet when cooked...hmmm...how did you cook them? Did you fry them, bake them...in a sauce, with oil...now I'm curious

[bluezebra]

Sometimes seeds make the eggplant bitter. I don't know how to tell the difference between male and female in the Japanese or Chinese versions but Alton Brown did a whole show on eggplant and he surmised that one of the sexes produced a bitter result. Therefore it was best to choose "x" sex of eggplant at the store or market. I regretfully cannot remember which sex he said was best so...wish I could help!

[cheflayne]

Female eggplant will have more seeds and so be more bitter. At the blossom end, a male will have a shallow round indentation, a female will be deeper and have a dash shaped indentation. Chinese eggplant is the one that is real light purple color and is less bitter than Japanese eggplant which is less bitter than American eggplant. Beyond that, age will also make them more bitter.

[DC Sunshine]

Juju - did you try salting them and leaving them for about an hour in a colander before rinsing, patting dry then cooking them? The salting tends to take out the bitterness.

[juju375]

Cheflayne....YES...you gave me the answer. They are old. The meat was a brownish color. Not white like regular eggplant. Never used them before and I didnt know.
Thank you all for your help with this. In the trash they go.
Also, I believe I made a mistake in frying them in soy. They got soooo mushy.
Thank you again.