Salt Eggplant

Salting an eggplant can make it less bitter, which is especially important for older eggplants. It can also help it absorb less oil, particularly when you're frying it, and it helps move the saltiness into the eggplant. You have two basic methods you can use, salting it dry and soaking it in saltwater.

Steps

Salting the Eggplant Dry

  1. Wash and cut the eggplant. Rinse off the outside of the eggplant. You can peel the eggplant if you prefer, but you can also leave the skin on.[1] Cut the eggplant to the shape you need for your recipe, such as slices or cubes.[2]
  2. Add salt. You'll need a lot of salt for this process, so use more than you think you need, about 1/2 a tablespoon for each (medium) eggplant.[3] Sprinkle the salt on, or toss the cubes in the salt. Spread the cubes out in a colander, or over a cooling rack sheet.[1]
  3. Let the cubes rest. This process takes time, as the salt is drawing moisture out of the eggplant. You'll need 30 minutes at the minimum, but you can leave them up to an hour and a half. Watch for moisture beading up on the eggplant, which is what you want.[3]
  4. Rinse the salt off. Run the eggplant under water for a minute or two, making sure you get most of the salt off. Leaving too much salt on will make the final dish too salty.[1]
  5. Press the eggplant dry. For most applications, you want to dry the eggplant off as much as possible. Place the eggplant between two paper towels, and press it down on a hard surface with your hand, which will remove much of the water.[3]

Soaking Eggplant in Saltwater

  1. Cut the eggplant. If you're using small eggplants (such as Japanese eggplants), you can simply peel some of the skin off (about half of it in stripes), or poke holes in it with a fork. For larger eggplants, cut it into cubes or slices, whatever you need for the final dish.[1]
  2. Create your saltwater. Get a bowl big enough for the eggplant to soak in. Add water to it. Pour in salt. You'll need about a tablespoon per cup or two of water. Mix it up to dissolve the salt.[4]
  3. Soak the eggplant. Place the eggplants in the bowl. Mix it around to get the process started. Leave the eggplants to soak in the water. You'll want them to soak for about 30 minutes or so.[2]
  4. Pat dry. Before cooking, you should pat the eggplant dry between paper towels. It can help to press down slightly on it to release a bit of the water. This method works especially well before frying.[2]

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.finecooking.com/article/how-to-cook-eggplant-to-tender-silky-perfection-2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/ask.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.thekitchn.com/soggy-bitter-eggplant-just-add-salt-173792
  4. ↑ http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/do-you-really-need-to-salt-eggplant-article

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Salt_Eggplant&oldid=320738"