Eggplant three ways

I love eggplant. In all ways imaginable. I like its chunkiness when grilled in large pieces and eaten as part of a sandwich, but also its silky mouthfeel after it's cooked long enough in a stew. So imagine my excitement when I saw a plethora of eggplants - Chinese, Indian, Japanese, as well as more obscure varieties such as Thai and Vietnamese - in farmers' markets during the last few weeks. I wonder if it's because the Bay area has a large Asian population, I rarely saw American eggplants, but it's my least favorite variety anyway.

Today I will share with you three dishes I made recently in which eggplant played a starring role. The first was Italian - pasta shells tossed with diced eggplant and sweet peppers in a quick tomato sauce made by simmering ripe tomatoes until they broke apart, then garnished with chopped parsley. My inspiration came from a similar recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers. What I liked most about the dish was the pasta shells scooping up the tomato sauce, which exploded inside your mouth when you bit into the shells. Very hearty for the occasional chilly summer might in the Bay area.

Pasta shells with eggplant, sweet peppers, and tomatoes

The second dish was my long-time favorite - Chinese-style braised eggplant with tofu and whatever greens you have on hand. I used spinach in this version. Simply stir-fry minced garlic, ginger, shallots/green onions, and red pepper flakes if you like it hot with eggplant and tofu, then braise the mixture in a sauce made from tamari, toasted sesame oil, molasses/brown sugar, and water. Finish by tossing in the spinach until it starts to wilt. Add some chopped fresh basil for an additional layer of flavor. I've discovered that this sauce mixture (if you use molasses) can make up for Chinese oyster sauce, which is commonly used in Chinese cooking but most commercial versions contain artificial ingredients I want to avoid.

Chinese-style braised eggplant with tofu and spinach, served with brown rice

The last dish was an eggplant masala (aka curry, I just want to use a fancy word). It was really easy to put together and the perfect one-pot meal. I first heated some chopped onions, ginger, and masala powder I picked up from an Indian grocery store in oil, then stirred chopped eggplant, okra, yellow squash, and tomatoes into the mixture, added some water, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. I piled the masala mixture onto two slices of a Vietnamese bánh mì (baguette that's lighter and crispier than its French counterpart), topped with green onions, and served them with a cob of cooked sweet corn. Talk about an amalgam of cultures here!

Eggplant masala on Vietnamese bánh mì with sweet corn

PS: Remember to salt your eggplant before cooking. People told me that salting removes the bitter taste of eggplant, although I've never had a bitter eggplant. The salted eggplant absorbs flavors more readily and tastes more superior.