[ad_1]
Empirically we all know that summer time greens are the very best. In August, the freshest inexperienced beans are coated with advantageous hairs, scratchy as a cat’s tongue, melons give away their ripeness in heft and aroma, cucumbers are snappy and juicy, and eggplants have the creamiest flesh and least bitterness when eaten on the peak of the season.
Eggplant is the star of this recipe, one I’ll admit won’t rating many factors within the seems division, however delivers massive time on taste. On this lush, wealthy vegetarian dish, shallow-fried cash of eggplant are paired with candy corn, united by coconut milk and a touch of curry paste. Fast to organize, made with only some elements in a single pan, it’s a simple summer time preparation that wants solely a scoop of rice alongside to make it an entire meal.
If yow will discover them, lengthy, slender, deep purple Chinese language eggplant are excellent, however should you can’t, smaller Italian eggplant or another petite selection (of which there are numerous, ranging in colour from white to lavender to nearly black) will work fantastically. I search for eggplant no fatter than a few inches, which guidelines out big Globe eggplants, however different sorts are truthful recreation. Search for eggplants which might be agency, with taut pores and skin — any comfortable spots are a sign they’re previous their prime.
A typical grievance about eggplant is that they take in an excessive amount of oil. Certainly, the porous flesh can soak it up, leading to soggy, greasy sponges. Although it could sound counterintuitive, I discover the easiest way to beat this attribute is to shallow-fry the slices in an honest quantity of oil that has been heated sufficiently. They nonetheless do absorb some oil, after all, however it’s lower than you’d anticipate, and shallow-frying offers eggplant slices a creamy, luscious texture, with a barely crisp exterior. To check the temperature of the oil, drop an eggplant coin in; it ought to begin to bubble vigorously. If there are not any or few bubbles, it’s an indication the oil is just too cool.
As for pre-salting your eggplant, it’s not mandatory. Pre-salting does have an effect on the feel of fried eggplant, making it creamier and fewer fibrous, however the distinction is adequately subtle that I skip this step to streamline the recipe. You could have heard that salting leaches bitterness from eggplant, however this isn’t true. Some styles of eggplant are merely extra bitter than others, and age additionally performs an element: The older an eggplant, the extra bitter it turns into. Which is all of the extra cause to make this recipe now, when eggplants, like so many greens, are at their best possible.
Jessica Battilana is a contract author and the writer of “Repertoire: All of the Recipes You Want.” Instagram: E-mail: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jbattilana
Curried Eggplant and Corn
Serves 4
2 Chinese language, Japanese or Italian eggplant, about 1½-2 inches in diameter (about 1 pound), minimize into ½-inch thick cash
3 cups uncooked corn kernels (from about 4 ears corn)
2 scallions, white and lightweight inexperienced elements solely, thinly sliced; inexperienced tops thinly sliced and reserved
½ serrano or jalapeño chile, minced
2 teaspoons inexperienced or yellow curry paste
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
In a heavy-bottomed 10-inch frying pan over medium-high warmth, warmth a ½-inch depth of oil. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set close by. To check the temperature of the oil, add one eggplant coin. It ought to bubble vigorously (if it doesn’t, your oil is just not sizzling sufficient but). When the oil is sizzling, add half of the eggplant slices and fry, turning as soon as, till golden brown on all sides, 5 minutes. With tongs, switch to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
When the entire eggplant has been fried, rigorously pour off all however 1 tablespoon of the oil right into a heat-proof bowl and return the pan to medium-high warmth. Add the corn and cook dinner, stirring often, till frivolously charred in spots and starting to stay to the pan. Scale back the warmth to medium and add the scallions, chile, and curry paste and cook dinner, stirring, for 1 minute. Scale back the warmth to medium-low and pour within the coconut milk, stirring to mix. Add the eggplant slices and fold gently to mix (should you combine too vigorously, the eggplant slices will crumble). Take away from the warmth and season to style with salt. Switch to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the cilantro and scallion greens. Serve sizzling or at room temperature, with steamed rice alongside.
[ad_2]
Source link
