Stovetop Asian Eggplant

By Alysha Melnyk

Asian eggplants are a long, slender variety of eggplant. They are deep purple in color and can be prepared similarly to a typical Italian eggplant variety. However, Asian eggplants are slightly more delicate in texture and have a thinner skin. Therefore, they are not a great contender for eggplant parmesan, but perfect grilled, sautéed, or roasted. When cooking any eggplant variety, the key is to make sure the eggplant is cooked through. The final texture should be smooth and silky.

Happy cooking!

Stovetop Asian Eggplant

1. First, cut the Asian eggplant into bite sized pieces about a 1/2 inch thick. I sliced and then halved the slices.
2. Combine eggplant pieces with three tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan. Use your hands or a spoon to mix everything immediately, since eggplant tends to be pretty “spongey” and you want the oil to disperse.
3. Heat the eggplant pieces on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, add 1/4 cup of your broth of choice and cover for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. After these 5 minutes pass, uncover the mixture and cook for 5 more minutes (stirring occasionally) until any excess liquid is gone.
6. Test a piece of eggplant for texture (I enjoy my eggplant soft but not mushy) and cook longer if desired.
7. Serve immediately and enjoy! 🙂 Add extra herbs, spices, and a sprinkle of cheese if desired.

Alysha Melnyk is the Founder and Content Creator of The Kitchenologist©, a food blog dedicated to healthy eating and kitchen experiments. Alysha combined her background in biology with her passion for making food delicious, eye-catching, and accessible. When she’s not cooking in the kitchen or dreaming up a recipe, Alysha works full time as an Implementation Manager at ECRI, an international medical nonprofit located in suburban Philadelphia that is dedicated to improving patient safety worldwide. Alysha finds her many career passions revolve around the power of knowledge and that equipping people with the right tools and resources will help them make better informed decisions.