I’ve only ever used Thai eggplant in curries, but surely there must be other applications for them?
I actually tossed the two largest ones bc they seemed to be entirely made of seeds, but maybe that was a mistake?
Well, here’s a dip that sounds right up my alley.
They can be used in stir-fries (if they are quite bitter than add a little bit of maple syrup as part of the overall sauce doesn’t add too much sweetness but also gives it a nice unusual background flavor).
They all but melted into my salmon curry last night, which means the many (oh so many) seeds practically disappeared. Seems to me they lend themselves to longer cooking methods than stir-frying?
The texture seems less soft than globe or Chinese eggplant.
Could you slice it and grill it?? Maybe top it with some Hoisin sauce??
I’ve take (regular) eggplant, sliced it, brushed on a little olive oil and grilled it on my “George Foreman” grill.
1 Like
Found a stir-fry recipe!
1 Like
The texture is different from regular eggplant, which I adore grilled.
I’ll do some more sleuthing if the HOs got nada 
1 Like
I know Vietnamese pickle them! Also both in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine they are eaten raw and served with a dipping sauce (usually seafood based).
1 Like
Raw eggplant! Well, well. That’s interesting. I thought nightshades usually needed to be cooked to be palatable.
Eggplants contain solanine but you need to eat quite a lot of it to poison yourself (and even cooking doesn’t completely removes it, but frying them). But I never found the texture of raw eggplants “worth” it and prefer cooked or fried versions
Thai Eggplant is not usually cooked very long and retains a crisp/Raw Texture. 10 Min max in a Curry, the Pea Eggplants are tossed in at the very end just before the Herbs.
People think the same with Plantains but they are eaten raw in S.E. Asia with no ill effect. Somtimes included in the Vietnamese Vegetable Platter for Rice Paper Rolls.
