I remember the first time I tried eggplant. My grandparents took us to a restaurant, and my grandfather ordered eggplant parmesan. I was not very adventurous at that point of my life, so I was hesitant to try the bite he offered. It was delicious: the crispy outside, yet creamy inside, all topped with marinara and melted, golden browned mozzarella. It was a moment of surprise and a beginning to the understanding that there was a world of knowledge and delicious food I wanted to learn about and experience. It may seem like a small idea to ignite this grand curiosity, but up to this point in my life, I ate meat and potatoes in their simplest forms. I think I only tried eggplant because my grandfather, whom I admired, was enjoying the dish so much.

A couple years later I was introduced to another somewhat similar use of eggplant. My first couple months into working at Incredibly Delicious, my now brother-in-law Patrick ordered an eggplant pizza from Galina’s Pizza downtown. It was amazing!  I ordered the same pizza every week at home for a very long time.

Later I discovered other wonderful ways to enjoy eggplant: ratatouille, moussaka, baba ghanoush, Thai green curry with eggplant. These became some of my favorites.

Several years ago, I began learning more precisely about the regional cooking of authentic Chinese foods. I became aware of one of my now favorite dishes, fish-fragrant eggplant. It is an odd name when first heard. The fish-fragrant idea lends to the combination of garlic and ginger combined with fermented chili then mixed with sweet and sour. This combination is fantastic with fish, making the fish wonderfully “fragrant.” The reality is this flavor profile of Sichuan foods works well with most ingredients. The eggplant version is great hot or cold, as well as eaten as a side dish or as a main dish mixed with noodles or over rice. My favorite is tossed with thick cut rice noodles.

This is the end of eggplant season, which means they are plentiful and delicious. They have a high-water content, so they are often salted after they are cut to draw out water and a bit of bitter flavor. Cut them into large steak sizes, give them a bit of marinade and seasoning and toss them on the grill. Sauteed eggplant goes great in just about any stir fry or pasta.

This last spring, we took the Lincoln Land Community College culinary club to Chicago, where we took a guided tour of Chinatown. One of the restaurants we visited was Sichuan. They served us fish-fragrant eggplant as one of the dishes, as well as one of my other favorites: La zi ji. This is another flavor profile from Sichuan, MaLa, which means spicy/numbing. It’s a pile of delicious, marinated chicken pieces tossed with lots of garlic, ginger, Sichuan numbing peppercorns and a pile of dried chilis. This paired with the eggplant dish is an experience in flavor. The numbing peppercorns allow you to endure more chilis, the chicken is aromatic and delicious. Then, just when you are rushed with endorphins from the heat, you take a cooling sweet and sour bite of the fish-fragrant eggplant, packed with umami, that brings you back into focus just long enough to realize you need another bite of the spicy chicken.

This is just another reminder of how powerful food and emotion can be: meals connected to wonderful memories and emotions. I have lived a large part of my life around food experiences involving all the wonderful humans in my world. Comfort foods are part of every culture. They are satisfying and emotional.

Eggplant parmesan

• 1 eggplant, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds
• Salt
• Eggs
• 1 cup, plus ½ cup ap flour
• 1 cup breadcrumb
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Marinara sauce, your favorite brand or homemade
• Fresh mozzarella, or shredded optionally

1. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and toss with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Rinse off the salt then dry with paper towels.
3. Lightly coat with flour.
4. Beat eggs with a couple tablespoons of cold water using a fork to make an egg wash.
5. Mix the rest of the flour, panko, spices, herbs, salt and pepper.
6. Coat the eggplant in egg wash, then coat with panko mixture.
7. Let rest at least 20 minutes for best outcome to let breading set.
8. Deep-fry at 350 degrees, or pan fry at medium high, until golden brown.
9. Drain on paper towel to remove access oil.
10. Place eggplant in bake proof dish. Top with marinara sauce, then mozzarella.
11. Bake at 400 degrees, or broil, until cheese is golden brown.
12. Enjoy!

Fish-fragrant eggplant

• 1 large eggplant
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili bean paste, preferably doubanjiang, but sambal works
• 1 ½ tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
• ½ cup chopped scallions

1. Cut the eggplant into thicker strips, ½ inch by ½ inch by 2-3 inches, leave the skins on.
2. Toss with salt to coat. Let sit 20 minutes.
3. Rinse with cold water and then use paper towels to dry.
4. Deep fry the eggplant at 350 degrees until golden brown.
5. Drain and set on paper towels.
6. Add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to hot pan.
7. Add chili bean paste and cook quickly, don’t burn.
8. Add garlic and ginger, cook quickly.
9. Add water, sugar, and soy sauce, bring to a boil.
10. Add eggplant and gently stir, add cornstarch mixture to achieve sauce thickness you would enjoy. Make sure to stir constantly and gently while adding cornstarch mixture.
11. Turn off heat and add vinegar and scallions. Gently stir and pour onto serving platter.
12. Enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.