Eggplant with Garlic and Cumin
This recipe has simple ingredients, but when cooked properly, it has a rich and complex flavor that I think you will enjoy.
Eggplant is not a traditional food in my part of the world - in fact it can be pretty hard to grow in the Maritimes - but I always try to grow some because my whole family loves it as a side-dish when we have pasta. I have eaten it in many restaurants, and in many different forms, and I have to say that there is a bit of a knack to cooking it in a way that imparts good flavor. The recipe below has very basic ingredients - and there are many more complex variations - but it’s the method of cooking that makes all the difference.
Ingredients:
1 eggplant (about 3-4 cups cut up)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Wash and cut the eggplant into small (~ 1/2”) pieces.
Place a large non-stick pan on medium heat and add the oil.
Add a couple pieces of the eggplant. Once they start to sizzle - add the cumin, the garlic, and the rest of the eggplant. Sauté, turning occasionally for about 10 or 12 minutes until most of the pieces are browned.
Add the salt, stir to combine, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft and mushy.
Serve with your favorite dish. Goes really well with pasta and tastes great with Parmesan cheese
It’s all about the browning
There’s two reasons that the lengthy browning session makes this dish taste so good. The first is the “Maillard Reaction”. This is a fancy French name for a bunch of chemical reactions that occur when food is subjected to relatively high heats ( 140 to 165 °C or 280 to 330 °F) and turns brown. The explanation for why this makes things taste so good is fairly complicated, but suffice it to say - whatever the food - whether it be a steak, or parsnips, or scallops, or a humble piece of toast - there’s a bunch of things happening that creates a complexity of flavor that people love. The catch is that you have to keep an eye on it - because if it gets too hot or isn’t tossed or turned enough, it will burn, and all that amazing flavor will turn bitter and carcinogenic, which is not very appetizing at all! It’s also important to keep things dry when sautéing - because steam and moisture inhibit the Maillard Reaction - so keep the cover off when browning. This is also why the directions above instruct to only add the salt when you’re about to simmer - because salt can draw moisture from the eggplant - which will create moisture and steam.
The other reason is due to the the solanine content in eggplant. Solanine is a toxic substance that eggplants and other nightshades like potatoes and tomatoes produce. It’s great for the nightshade because it protects them from pests and is also an effective fungicide - but it imparts a bitter flavor, and the higher the solanine content, the more bitter the flavor (and the more toxic the food). Thankfully, the miracle of fire saves us from solanine. Cooking at temperatures above 338 F (170 °C) will degrade solanine. Since medium heat on a stove top is approximately 350 F, it is reasonable to assume that the solanine content is reduced by sautéing, thereby reducing the natural bitterness of the eggplant, and allowing us to enjoy the wonderful flavor hiding behind that natural pesticide1.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to describe what eggplant tastes like. Many people argue that it tastes something like zucchini. I can say definitively, it tastes nothing like zucchini. Also, I’ve also heard it said that it’s only really useful for absorbing the flavor of the other things that it is cooked with. While it does absorb flavor, it would be incorrect to say that it does not have an unique flavor all its own - but in my experience, that flavor can only be unlocked by browning by means of the correct application of sautéing. Please give it a try if you’ve never had it before; and of course, if you have another twist on how you like it - please let me know in the comments.
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Here’s a video where I show how to make it:
It’s unlikely that all the solanine will be gone after sautéing for only 12 minutes - but the levels should be reduced enough that the bitterness goes away. For those that are constantly fretting about consuming toxins - please remember the old chemist’s adage: The dose makes the poison. I’m sure that if you eat enough raw eggplant I’m sure it can make you quite sick - but why would you? It would taste terrible!