Eggplant

Season: Spring/Summer

Storage: Eggplant does best uncovered and left in a cool spot in your kitchen for up to 3 days. Keep it away from ethylene producing fruits like bananas and apples to extend its shelf life.

Other Names: Aubergine (Britian), brinjal (Indian), & beringela (Portuguese)

Fun Facts: As a member of the genus Solanum, it is related to the tomato and the potato. Eggplant (sometimes called “aubergine” ) originated in India but has found its way into a vast variety of cuisines. It is the main attraction in eggplant parmesan (Italian), moussaka (Greek), and babaganoush (Middle Eastern). Try this versatile veggie sauteed, smoked, grilled, or fried. Check out this awesome video by Seed to Life on the history and medicinal benefits of eggplants, click HERE!

This crop is one of the most versatile vegetables known to man! Each eggplant variety has its own taste, physical appearance, and benefit! PIF cultivates many varieties of this vegetable. These include, but are not limited to, the Japanese eggplant, the Italian eggplant, the Chinese eggplant, the Thai eggplant, and the African eggplant. Although, it is not a popular dish or regularly cooked in Texas, PIF plans to generate hype to encourage the community to try new recipes. This needed hype inspired this year’s PIF Eggplant Extravaganza! The recipes below were crafted by local Houston chefs to show off this bountiful summer veg! We hope that this page inspires YOU to begin your own eggplant journey!

Get local eggplant by joining our Farm Share or shopping at farmer’s markets, then share your favorite preparations through our Facebook page.

Chinese-Style Steamed Eggplant

Recipe from Nick Wong

“I normally don’t work with eggplants a lot, but since moving to Houston it’s been one of the summer crops I look forward to every year. They grow so well in this climate and the varieties available during the season are awesome to see.

Steaming is a traditional Chinese technique that I haven’t seen used much in Texas when it comes to eggplants. This is a great alternative way to prepare eggplant if you don’t have access to a grill, or if you have a small apartment kitchen and don’t want to heat up an oven. It’s a great dish to eat along with plain white rice – the tanginess and sweetness of the marinade along with the temperature contrast really make the eggplant pop.”

Ingredients

4 pc japanese eggplant (you can use other varieties but cooking times may vary depending on the tenderness of the eggplant)
Marinade:

1/2 cup canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup roasted sesame oil
1/2 cup black vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tsp white sugar
2 tbsp sambal oelek
Stems from 1/2 bunch of cilantro, cleaned and cut into 1″ batons
Salt to taste
Garnish:
Leaves from 1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 scallions, cut thinly on an extreme bias
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Set up steamer on top of a pot of boiling water, bring to boil and then lower heat to a simmer.
Slice eggplants in half lengthwise, and lightly season cut side with salt. Let sit 10 minutes.
Place eggplants in steamer and turn heat onto medium high, making sure steamer is full of steam.
Steam for 20 minutes, or until flesh of eggplant yields no resistance when poked with a knife or fork.
While waiting on eggplants, combine all marinade ingredients in mixing bowl. Taste and adjust as needed.
Once eggplants are cooked, remove from steamer and let cool.
When eggplants are cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from skin using a spoon, and place in mixing bowl.
Gently toss eggplants with marinade, and let sit for 15 minutes.
Plate eggplants, and garnish top of dish with the cilantro leaves, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds.

Note: Steaming is a traditional Chinese technique that I haven’t seen used much in Texas when it comes to eggplants. This is a great alternative way to prepare eggplant if you don’t have access to a grill, or if you have a small apartment kitchen and don’t want to heat up an oven. It’s a great dish to eat along with plain white rice – the tanginess and sweetness of the marinade along with the temperature contrast really make the eggplant pop.

Charred Eggplant Salad

Recipe from Evelyn Garcia owner and chef of KIN HTX

“Eggplant is one of my most favorite vegetables. I love using it not only as a whole, but also incorporating it into sauces. It takes on other flavors very easily. It’s so versatile and tasty!

This salad takes inspiration from traditional Thai style dishes that sometimes include different vegetables or in some instances proteins as well.

I love how this recipe can easily be translated to different vegetables as the seasons change.”

Ingredients

2 ea. Japanese Eggplants
5 sprigs of mint, leaves only
5 sprigs of cilantro, leaves only
5 sprigs of dill, leaves only
5 sprigs thai basil, leaves only
1/4 ea thinly sliced red onion, soaked in ice water
1t salt
4T crushed peanuts
2T crispy shallots
Vinaigrette

1/4 c lime juice
1/8 c fish sauce
1/8 c olive oil
2 ea Thai chili
2T honey
1T minced ginger
1 pc garlic

Instructions

Cut Eggplant in half season with salt and a splash of oil and char on cast iron or grill till dark in color & tender.
In the meantime, place all ingredients for vinaigrette in a blender and blend till emulsified.
Once eggplant is charred, place it on a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces.
In a large bowl add eggplant, herbs, red onion and dress with vinaigrette
Garnish with crushed peanuts and crispy shallots.

NOTE: This salad takes inspiration from traditional Thai style dishes that sometimes include different vegetables or in some instances proteins as well. I love how this recipe can easily be translated to different vegetables as the seasons change.

Babaganoush

A recipe by Rafael Nasr owner of Craft Pita

“Eggplants are an essential part of Lebanese cuisine. You can find them pickled, grilled, fried, stuffed, or roasted and turned into babagnaoush. They are pillar of the summer season all over the Levant. I grew up watching my dad just eating baked eggplant with olive oil and salt as a snack. Eggplants love the sun, so they are best harvested in summer. The thick skin they use to protect themselves also makes a great vessel for being stuffed with hasweh and thrown in a stew.

Babaganoush is a dish that represents Lebanon at an international level. It does because it highlights the most important ingredients in our cuisine. Olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini. Why are eggplants great for cooking? Because they soak up fat and flavor. Doesn’t matter what kind of eggplant or fat. In this recipe olive oil is the fat. You can eat this dish hot once prepared or cold as a refreshing spread. Babaganoush has preferences kind of like guacamole. The ratio of tahini, garlic, and lemon juice is up to your liking. You can roast or grill over coals for a smokey flavor.”

Ingredients

8 eggplants
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 ¾ tbsp salt
3/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup lemon juice

Instructions

Cut 8 eggplants in half.
Place eggplants on a large pan and drizzle olive oil on the meaty side of eggplant, place face down.
Bake at 425 for 45 minutes until the skin is shriveled.
Once ready, pull the pan out of the oven and cover the tray in plastic wrap.
After 20 minutes peel skin off of the eggplant and dispose of skin.
If eggplant is extra seedy, dispose of seeds.
Place eggplant meat on a cutting board.
Chop up eggplant on a cutting board and try to cut up all the chunks.
Add salt and garlic.
Place chopped up eggplant in a mixing bowl.
Add tahini and mix well.
Add yogurt and lemon juice mix well.
Adjust the balance of yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and tahini to your liking.
You can serve this immediately or place it in the fridge.
Place in a serving bowl.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds, olive oil, and parsley.
Serve with toasted pita bread or pita chips.

NOTE: (x12 Servings) Babaganoush is a dish that represents Lebanon at an international level. It does because it highlights the most important ingredients in our cuisine. Olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini.

Chinese Rice Dumpling (Zong Zi 糉⼦) Tradition

A recipe by Connie Lacobie local Houston chef and owner of Té House of Tea

“Synergy! Food is medicine! Incorporate an Old Chinese legendary and traditional, cultural way of cooking with baby Indian eggplants from PIF, with beyond beef, lotus seeds, ginkgo, and fermented tofu for added medicinal value.”

Ingredients

bamboo leaves, dried, 25 counts, 5 for each
whole mung beans, dried, 1& 1/2 cup
brown hulled glutinous sweet rice, dried, 1/2 cup
PIF’s eggplants – 5 Indian specie, small and round.
ginkgo nuts, fresh from vacuum packed, 10 counts
lotus seeds, dried, 10 counts
Mushrooms and wood ears fungi, 5 counts each
Salted duck egg, cut horizontally into half, 5 counts
Protein choice, Vegan protein, 5x (2 tbsp for each dumpling)
2 cups of mushroom broth.
Spices: organic Mizo, 2 tsp.
one tbsp sesame oil
one tbsp of salt
one tbsp of wine
2 tbsp of Five Spices Powder (orange peel, black cardamom, clove, cinnamon and star Anise)

Instructions

2 days processing:
Day 1 evening : soak lotus seeds , wood ears, rice, mung beans separately
water : warm temperature about 90F
Tips:
Lotus seeds: soak in water for 2 to 3 hours on the kitchen counter, then store in fridge overnight,
till it is ready to be used. Then, drain of all liquid.
Wood ears: soaked for 30 minutes, then cut into small pieces, store in fridge till use.
Rice: keep soaked for 4 hours, you could see it expands. Drain out most liquid, then add salt,
sesame and wine to marinate. Cover and store in fridge.
Mung beans: keep it soaked for 4 hours, it might sprout a little, drain out most liquid and store in
fridge, uncovered.
Day 2 : wash and soak bamboo leaves in a sink full of hot water about 135 F from tap for an hour.
In a meantime, use a big soup pot , pour in vegan broth .
Use a coffee grinder for grinding 5 orange peels, 1 tsp of whole clove, 2 whole black
cardamoms, 2 cinnamon sticks, 5 star anise. Grind to powder . Just use 2 tbsp.
Use medium to heat up broth with spices.
Lay out all seeds, protein, mushrooms and carbs for wrapping process.
Wash and cut eggplants in 2” x1.5” x1” approximately. Sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Prepare 5 portions of protein and add Mizo into it. Pre- portion it into 5.
Wrapping Process:
Grab 3-4 warm leaves, slightly stack intersected to each other, from the center, turn inward to
form a triangular well or shallow funnel shape.
Scoop 1/4 cup of soaked beans to fill the well , add 1/4 cup of marinated rice
Fill in half egg, mushrooms, ginkgo, lotus seeds, protein, eggplant in the middle .
Then cover it with 1/4 cup of bean on top.
Carefully, use one leaf to cover the top.
One hand holding tight on the subject and fold all layers toward the front, then gather all layer to
fold back to form a pyramid shape.
Tie, it with a cotton twine if you could not find grass string.
Put it a soup pot for slow cooking.

NOTE: Makes 5 dumplings

More information on the recipe:

History:

Chunqui Period ( 700 to 476 BCE)
According to old religious cultural records, wrapping rice and other ingredients in leaves of
reed and bamboo, then forming a pyramid shape has been regarded as an oblation for their
ancestors during any memorial rituals.

Warring States Period ( 475 to 221 BCE)
Zong zi (Joong in Cantonese) became an essential festival food in Chinese culture, commemorating the death of Qu Yuan (mandarin, Wat jyun in Cantonese). Qu Yuan, a famous poet, belonged to the Chu (one of the feudal lords) royal house of the Zhou Dynasty. He was an important advisor to his lord, but Lord Chu decided to ally with the aggressive and brutal Lord Qin against their Emperor Zhou. Qu was accused of treason and sent to exile. After 28 years of being exiled, he expanded his horizon by writing poems and songs. However, he became very depressed when he witnessed the capital of Chu captured by Lord Qin, whom then became the First Emperor of China.

Qu Yuan refused to surrender to Qin, and committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River. It was recorded that the local fishermen and his political and poetry supporters raced out in their boats to save him or at least find his dead body. This marked the beginning of Dragon
Boat Races. After few searches, they could not find his body. The locals commemorated his death by dropping Zong Z into the river – in their mind, they hoped the fish would eat the dumplings instead of his body.

Jin Dynasty (226 to 420AD)
After more than 500 years of memorializing Qu Yuan silently in the Chu region, Zong Zi spread through the country as a national festival, with dragon boats and dumplings a key part of the ceremonies. In the history of Jin, YIzhiren (益智仁 Chinese Black cardamom ) was also added to the
ingredient. It increased the value of eating Zong Zi. Every region of China has their own version of these tasty leave-wrapped dumplings.

Zong Zi Varieties :
Northern Region: Sweet flavors, filled with sweet been paste, nuts, jujube
Southern Region: marinated pork belly, cured meat, salted duck eggs
Shanghai and Guangdong: Alkaline dumplings, served with sugar

Medicinal values of Ingredients:

Bamboo leaves: Asian traditional medicine for hypertension, arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases.

Ginkgo biloba: Antioxidant, treatment for inflammation, circulation and heart health. Usage for treatment of dementia, Alzheimer’s , depression and anxiety.

Lotus Seeds: In traditional Chinese medicinal practice, lotus seeds are a yin food . It dispels excess heat from the heart and spontaneous bleeding episodes due to heat. Seeds are classified as “sweet flavor” food. It’s alkaloid compounds neutralize toxic from the food and nourish the body.
Lotus plumule has been used by TCM for sleep problems and seminal and vaginal discharge.

Eggplants: antioxidants, vitamins A & C, high in polyphenois which is great to support processing body sugar and prevent insulin resistant issue.

Mushrooms and fungi: antioxidants { selenium for boosting immune system}. High in fiber.

Salted duck egg, : protein, contain selenium for our immune system.

Roselle and Eggplant

A recipe by Christine Kengue, PIF Farmer

Ingredients

2 large bunches of roselle greens
4 lb. eggplant (any PIF eggplant will do!)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 onion, chopped!
2-4 cubes of Maggi
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash and dry the roselle. Separate leaves from flower and stems. We will use just the leaves for this recipe but save roselle flowers and stems for future dishes.
Bring medium pot of water to a boil. Blanch roselle leaves for 2 minutes, remove and rinse under cold water. The leaves will turn from green to black. Squeeze leaves dry and set aside.
Bring another large pot of water to a boil. Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2- inch cubes. Boil eggplant until very soft, about 8-10 minutes. Drain well, set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium- high heat. When hot, add chopped onion and cook until translucent, 3-5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add the roselle and eggplant to the pan along with the crumbled Maggi cubes and 1/4 cup of water. Stir well to combine.
Simmer lightly, uncovered, until most of the water has evaporated and teh mixture is as thick as mashed potatoes, about 20-25 minutes. Before serving, season with pepper and salt to taste.

Note: This dish is traditionally served as an accompaniment to fried fish but can also be dished over rice or mashed plantains. It also tastes even better the next day!

Grilled Eggplant with Prik Khing Curry

Recipe from thekitchn

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup refined coconut oil
2 tablespoons prik khing curry paste, such as Maesri
Vegetable oil, for grilling

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Trim and slice 2 medium eggplants lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick planks. Place on the paper towels in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels. Let sit for 30 to 60 minutes to drain.
Prepare an outdoor grill for two heat zones, medium and medium-high. If using a charcoal grill, add coals, stacking more coals on one half of the grill and less on the other. If using a gas grill, heat one half of the grill to medium-high and the other to medium. Heat 1/2 cup coconut oil in a small heatproof saucepan on the medium heat zone. (Alternatively, heat on the stovetop over medium heat,) Add 2 tablespoons curry paste and whisk until fragrant and the color deepens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Pat the eggplant dry with more paper towels. Scrape the grill grates clean if needed, then rub the grill grates on the medium-high heat zone with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Brush the curry oil onto one side of the eggplant. Working in batches if needed, place the planks curry-side down on the grill grates. Brush the second side with curry oil. Grill uncovered until starting to char on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the planks and grill until the eggplant is tender, about 2 minutes more, brushing more curry oil, if desired. Carefully transfer the eggplant to a serving platter. Taste and season with salt as needed.

Note: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Eggplant, Tomato, and Onion Gratin

Recipe from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

Ingredients

3 medium Japanese eggplants
3 large, sweet white onions
3 ripe tomatoes
2 or 3 sprigs thyme
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Peel and chop the onions and garlic very fine. Stew them over a medium flame for about 5 minutes, until soft, in half the butter and olive oil, with the leaves of the thyme, the bay leaf, and salt and pepper.
Slice the eggplants into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Slice the tomatoes slightly thicker.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a shallow gratin dish.
Remove the bay leaf from the onions and spread them over the bottom of the dish. Cover with overlapping rows of alternate tomato and eggplant slices. Each slice should cover two thirds of the preceding one. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, cover, and cook in the oven until the eggplant is soft enough to be cut with a spoon, about 45 minutes. Uncover for the last 15 minutes or earlier if the tomatoes are giving up too much liquid. Brush or spoon the juices over the top occasionally to prevent the top layer from drying out. This gratin should be moist but not watery. Serve with grilled or roasted lamb.

Serves 6 to 8.

Eggplant Art

Thank you to all who submitted their eggplant art to PIF.

This July Plant It Forward will be spotlighting one of our bountiful summer vegetables, the eggplant! The eggplant is one of the most diverse and wildly used vegetables around the world. We would like your artwork to reflect the diversity and culture it represents.

Theme: Global Eggplant (think cuisine, culture, cultivation, and journey)

By Penelope Lewis

“This art was created to show how the eggplant is prepared in a variety of cultures with a list of ingredients listed. It has interactive and educational influences.”