I'm planning on cooking an Asian style eggplant with garlic sauce soon. However, I am concerned (perhaps even paranoid) about getting the texture right. My goal is for the eggplant to be very soft ("melt in your mouth"). In the past, I've had eggplant turn tough and chewy when cooked. How can I make sure it turns out how I want?
I don't typically salt my eggplant before cooking, because I don't find the taste to be unpleasantly bitter. Would that help?
Best Answer
You need a minimum cooking time and water for it to be cooked thoroughly. You mentioned that once they turned out tough and chewy: then they were not cooked fully through.
Vegetables are not like meat, which turn rubbery when overcooked. They turn soft rather.
Watch out for the opposite as well: Eggplants when cooked for a long time may turn mushy.
Cut them and keep them immersed in cool water prior to cooking to avoid discoloring. Then start by cooking with minimal water. Cover and cook. Keep stirring in between. Cut with a spoon to check if it is cooked. The spoon should softly pass through the piece.
You can also taste it: if you achieve the melt in your mouth (not mushy though) stop your cooking process.