Japanese Eggplants with Potatoes
and small round Indian eggplants have a smooth, thin, glossy skin that is not necessary to peel. When buying an eggplant, pick out ones that are not too firm, and not too soft, but tender to the touch, and that do not have brown spots or discoloration on the skin. Here I use the easily available Japanese eggplants wit potatoes to make this delicious dish. Studies have shown that eggplants lower
high cholesterol levels that can damage arteries and cause heart disease.
Serves 3 to 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Refrigerator Life: 3 days
Reheating Method: Place the refrigerated eggplants and potatoes in a microwave, cover and stir periodically. Or, place it in a skillet over medium-low heat and stir periodically.
2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants (total ½ lb/225 g)
1 medium russet potato (about ½ lb/225 g)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, shredded on the largest grating holes of a box grater
1 small fully ripe tomato, such as plum (Roma), cut into 4 pieces
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Wash the eggplants. Do not peel them. Cut each eggplant in half crosswise. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 even segments, leaving the stem on and cutting through it as well. Fill a large bowl with water. Place the cut eggplant pieces into the bowl of water to prevent browning.
2 Wash and peel the potato. Cut the potato in half lengthwise. Slice each half lengthwise into ½-inch (1.25 cm) thick wedges. The potato wedges should be similar in size to the eggplant pieces. Place the potato wedges into another bowl of water to prevent browning.
3 Pour 5 tablespoons of the oil into a large nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the onion. Sauté until the onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
4 Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomato. Cover the saucepan. Cook until the tomato becomes completely soft and mashed and is combined with the onion to form a coarse paste, stirring every minute or so and lightly mashing the tomato, about 5 minutes.
5 Add ¼ teaspoon each of the turmeric and red pepper and ½ teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper. Stir to combine. Cook uncovered for 6 minutes, stirring frequently.
6 Drain the water from the eggplant and add the eggplant to the skillet. Sit to combine. Increase the heat to medium. Cook until the eggplant is tender and you can easily insert a knife through it, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the skillet and place on a plate.
7 Pour the remaining tablespoon of the oil into the skillet and place over medium heat. When the oil is heated, drain the water from the potato and add the potato and the remaining ¼ teaspoon each of the red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the potato is tender and you can easily insert a knife through the potato wedges, about 10 minutes. Turn off the
heat.
8 Add the eggplant back to the skillet. Gently mix to combine with the potato wedges. Let rest, covered, for 5 minutes on the warm stove. Enjoy now or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate for later!
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