Tag: eggplant

Stuffed Eggplants

This is another traditional Maharashtrian recipe. There are a lot of variations, but this is the one my mother always made. It never fails to take me back to the times when I came home from school and found this waiting. It tastes amazing when it’s just cooked, but the flavors are more complex the next day. So make a lot!!

Doesn’t it look delicious?

The eggplants used in this are small Indian eggplants. Grocery stores in US don’t usually carry these. Berkeley bowl in Berkeley, CA was an exception. We buy them from the Indian store when they’re fresh. They need to be used fast since they’ll rot sooner than other veggies ( Accor to my observations). This recipe is also completely vegan!

Servings: 2, Prep time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Small Indian Eggplants 5-6
  • Yellow onion 1 medium
  • Garlic cloves 3-4
  • Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
  • Chili powder 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder 1.5 tsp
  • Garam masala 1 tsp
  • Jaggery crumbles 2 tbsp
  • Lemon juice 1/2 lemon’s worth
  • Salt to taste
  • Canola oil 3 tbsp

Instructions

  1. Finely chop onion and garlic, add to a bowl and set aside
  2. Remove stems of the eggplant. Slice into the eggplant from the cut side, about 3/4 of the way in. Make 2 cuts, so you have four quadrants. DO NOT cut all the way through!
  3. Add all the spices, lemon juice, salt and jaggery to the onion and garlic. Mix well
  4. Stuff this mixture into the eggplants.
  5. Heat the oil in a deep pan, then add the prepared eggplants and any leftover stuffing.
  6. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom. That’s it!

Tips

  • Make sure the eggplants are fresh. They will take forever to cook if they have been in your fridge for a while and they might taste bitter
  • Make sure you don’t cut the eggplants all the way into four pieces. If you do, it will still taste great, but won’t be stuffed anymore. 😂
  • This needs a little more oil than other recipes, but do not skimp on it! It will not taste as great.

I hope you will love this recipe as much as I do! As always, let me know in the comments if you made this.. 😬💜

Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

I’ve recently discovered I get a weird stomach ache on eating dairy. I also get itchy all over on eating eggs, so its time to start looking for vegan options. I’ve always liked Eggplant Parmesan and it’s a great dish to feed a crowd.

Servings: 6 Prep time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For processing the eggplants
  • Eggplants: 3 medium
  • Plant milk 1.5 cups (I used oat milk)
  • Cornflour 1 tsp
  • All purpose flour 1 cup
  • Breadcrumbs 2 cups
  • Dry mixed herbs 2 tsp
  • Ground black pepper 1 tsp
  • Salt as needed
  • Olive oil as needed
For the cashew ricotta
  • Cashews 1.5 cups
  • Hot water enough to cover cashews
  • Salt 1/4 tsp
  • Lemon juice 1/2 tsp
For the sauce
  • Tomatoes 2 medium
  • Tomato paste 1/4 cup
  • Water as needed
  • Basil leaves 5-6
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Shallot 1
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Olive oil 2 tbsp
  • Sugar 2 tbsp
For assembling
  • Vegan cheese 2 cups (I prefer daiya since it melts well, but any cheese is fine)
  • Prepared eggplants, sauce and ricotta

Instructions

  1. Slice the eggplants into 1/4 inch slices
  2. Sprinkle both sides of the slices liberally with salt and let sit for at least 30 mins
  3. In the meantime, soak the cashews in hot water for 15-20 mins.
  4. Blend the cashews, salt and lemon juice to a smooth paste. Set aside till assembly
  5. Mix the cornflour and plant milk together in a bowl.
  6. In another bowl, mix the ground pepper and breadcrumbs
  7. Dab the eggplant slices to remove the moisture
  8. Spread some olive oil on baking trays to grease them
  9. Coat each eggplant slice in flour, then dip in the plant milk liquid. Coat the slices liberally with the breadcrumbs and lay on the greased sheets
  10. Drizzle some olive oil on top and bake in 400 F oven for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle salt on both sides
  11. Finely chop the garlic cloves, shallot and tomatoes
  12. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the garlic and shallots until translucent
  13. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until just soft, maybe 5 mins
  14. Add the tomato paste and mix well.
  15. Add about a cup of water and the sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Coved and simmer for 15-20 mins adding water as needed.
  16. Finely chop basil and add to the sauce after removing from heat.
  17. In a deep baking pan, spread some sauce at the bottom. Arrange the baked eggplant slices above the sauce, then spread cashew ricotta on top. Sprinkle some vegan cheese on the ricotta. Repeat the layers till all the eggplant is used. Spread the remaining sauce and cheese on the top of the last layer of eggplant
  18. Bake in a 350 F oven for 20 mins or till the cheese has melted and everything is heated through

Tips

  • The ricotta and eggplant slices can be prepared up-to a day in advance. Just bake the eggplant slices when ready to assemble!
  • Please do not skip “sweating” the eggplant slices since this will remove moisture and reduce bitterness. Also do not forget to salt the slices once baked to make sure they’re seasoned well
  • The lemon juice in the ricotta is optional, but it gives a nice tang. You can also use white vinegar
  • Please simmer the sauce at least 15 mins. This helps the flavors to intensify. You can simmer it for up to 1 hour if you have the time.

This is definitely a long process, but this will feed at least 6 people. Once you get into the rhythm of coating the slices, it’s easy to prepare a whole bunch of them. Preparing some pans of this will ensure you can feed a whole party without too much effort! I hope you give this a try, and let me know how it goes!!