BRING ON THE BRINJALS-Eating for Less

BRINJAL: A word from my past. Having grown up in one of the northeastern states of India, I like to use the name brinjal instead of eggplant or aubergine. I personally think the term eggplant is a misnomer since it is neither an egg nor a plant. Aubergine, on the other hand, has a sensual ring to the name and sets the mood for some exotic food. However, to get newcomers acquainted with this vegetable, I will refer to it as eggplant. After all, what's in a name?

This luscious purple vegetable that is a gardener’s pride can sometimes be a little overwhelming to newbie cooks. As mysterious as its origin, this exotic vegetable can present some challenges even to the experienced. For starters, take a look at the varieties of eggplants you can find at the grocery stores.

The dark, almost blackish-purple, ovoid variety has a polished and taut skin, whose luster is hard to ignore when it is ready to be cooked. It turns a disappointing brown when it has been set aside for a few days, despite refrigeration, or when exposed to the air after it is cut. If not salvaged almost immediately when the spots are noted, the vegetable will pretty much lose its value. The brown spots expand into the creamy sections of the vegetable and soon become fit for compost material. Do not eat the eggplant if it has turned brown inside, as it is no longer edible.

If, on the other hand, the eggplant has not yet lost its charm, a clean sharp knife will test its fresh countenance. You can almost hear the knife cut through the fresh chunks of the exposed cream sections of the vegetable displaying the many pinpricks of eyelet-like seeds. The fresher the vegetable, the less visible the seeds, and conversely, the less fresh the vegetable, the more seedy it will appear.

This variety of eggplant tends to become more soft when cooked and often, if care is not taken at the onset, whether the vegetable is cut into medium cubes or in thin strips, the final outcome can become mushy. This brings me to two other varieties of eggplants, both prevalent in the south Asian continent.

The first variety is long and narrow and generally shaped like the yellow squash. It starts out slender at the top end, where it is attached to a curved stem and spiked calyx, then billows out appearing more bulbous towards the lower end. This variety comes in a lighter purple and sometimes shaded with white, although occasionally, you’ll find them also in light green. This slender variety is sold in the ethnic section at the grocery store, and usually labeled as Chinese or Japanese eggplant. The Chinese eggplant is a lighter purple than the Japanese variety. In most Indian stores you will find a very small and round eggplant that is anywhere between a plum and an apple in size. These also come in shades of purple or green with stray white lines running down the length of it.

The taste varies between the large dark purple and the south Asian variety only because the latter holds the shape and does not get too mushy, so you can taste the vegetable very distinctly. Regardless of the type of eggplant you choose, the vegetable is certainly delicious. Growing up, I remember I didn’t quite fancy the brinjal because of the seeds. But now, this is one of my favorite vegetables and the most versatile. You can serve the eggplant as an exotic side dish or in a sandwich, an Italian entrée smothered in tomato sauce with manicotti and mozzarella or coddled with chow mien and soy sauce. Whatever your mood, regardless of what name you call it by, brinjal or eggplant, or aubergine, this vegetable will certainly alter your appetite.

Here is one of my favorite preparations using eggplants.

EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO

1 large eggplant diced into cubes
1 small onion sliced fine
1 medium tomato chopped
1 large pod of garlic minced
1 small green chili chopped fine
1 sprig of cilantro chopped

¼ tsp of black mustard seeds
¼ tsp of cumin seeds
¼ tsp paprika
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet on high. Add the black mustard seeds to the heated oil. When mustard seeds start spluttering, add the cumin. Toss in the chopped onion and fry till golden brown. Add the minced garlic, green chili, and the diced eggplant. Stir the eggplant in the skillet so it is coated with the oil. Add the turmeric, paprika, and salt to taste.
Keep stirring till the oil is absorbed. Lower the heat and cover the skillet.

Lift the lid and continue to stir the eggplant so it does not stick to the skillet. When the eggplant is soft, add the chopped tomato and stir. You will note that as the eggplant softens, the oil gets released. Keep stirring till the softened eggplant cooks in the tomato. Remove from the stove and garnish with minced cilantro. Serve hot with warm tortillas or rice.

BATTLING THE BLAND-Eating for Less

This is not just another site for recipes. I might be inclined to include some original recipes I’ve created—at least I thought I created—until much to my chagrin, while surfing the food sites on the Internet, I found similar recipes, or something very close to what I had created. Obviously, someone out there and I were on the same wavelength and we had no clue. Not unusual.

I enjoy cooking and being a vegetarian, I enjoy cooking vegetables. Over the years, I’ve tried to mimic every mouth-watering recipe I have seen in the cookbooks on my routine prowl through the book shelves of the large retail book stores, or the chance sumptuous dishes I’ve been exposed to at restaurants or at some friends’ whose culinary creations I’ve secretly envied. Again, not unusual.

Lately, I find I have been veering towards cooking simple dishes and setting aside the traditional rich food and the vast array of spices. Now this is very unusual. However, this doesn’t mean no spices. The key is to maintain the natural taste and essence of the vegetables and yet somehow banish the bland.

GOING GREEN-Eating for Less

It’s comforting to know that the community at large has joined the chorus of all those moms who at some point or the other impaled the steamed broccoli on their kids’ plate with a fork and hollered at their family dinners: “Eat your vegetables!” Eating more vegetables and greens for a healthy life is no longer a fad, nor does it need an apology. With repeated cautions in the recent news about red meat consumption perpetuating cardiovascular disease, more men and women are seriously veering towards a healthier palate and a healthy platter of vegetables.

'Going green' is not just the sign of the times, but a strong reminder to eat one serving a day of greens and leafy vegetables, which include chard, spinach, collard, kale, turnip and mustard greens, and other varieties of greens you will find in the vegetable section of the grocery store or farmers’ market you frequent. My pavlovian response kicks up a notch just looking at the incredible stacks of green while my mind instantly scans through my archives to check for hitherto unused recipes. Ultimately, I tend to settle for the standard favorite for the entire spectrum of greens.

Cooking the Greens

Sauté bunches of washed, dried, and coarsely cut greens in a tablespoon of oil in a heated wok. Add crushed garlic, a sliced green chili, a pinch of turmeric, and salt to taste. Briskly stir the greens on high heat until the excess water is released leaving the greens moist and glazed. Remove from heat and serve with warm rice, tortillas, or noodles. You can garnish the sautéed greens with thinly sliced and browned onions, or toasted almonds. Alternatively, serve the sautéed greens over stir-fried tofu in soy sauce.

A Pinch of Turmeric

Washing the greens well is extremely important since the even the most carefully picked vegetables reveal traces of mud adhering to the leaves or roots, in case of fresh homegrown greens. I remember watching my mother and grandmother wash spinach over and over until the water dousing the greens ran clean into the kitchen sink. In addition to following this tradition, I also add one essential ingredient when cooking all vegetables, and especially greens: Turmeric.
This yellow finely-powdered spice commonly sold at any Indian grocery store and nowadays, at some of the supermarkets, contains antioxidants and acts as an antiseptic. Only a pinch is necessary. Any more than a pinch will result in a bitter taste and mask the natural flavor of the greens.