Fried aubergines guzzle up so much oil. Here are the alternatives.
“Frying aubergine isn’t a bad thing, and oil isn’t a bad thing,” says Balkan cook Spasia Pandora Dinkovski, founder of Mystic Burek and author of Doma. When it comes to recipes that require pre-frying (moussaka, say), Dinkovski’s mum “coats sliced aubergine in flour, so the oil doesn’t seep into them”. Yes, there will still be oil, but it’s an alternative route. A kindred spirit is Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo, whose latest book Gennaro’s Verdure is out this month. He agrees frying gives “the best flavour”, but it isn’t the only option: “Bake them, grill them, they both work fantastically.”
Either treatment is ideal for Vivek Singh’s Hyderabadi aubergine curry-inspired dish. The founder and executive chef of the Cinnamon Collection cuts long, thin aubergines in half, scores the flesh, then sprinkles with salt, chilli powder, turmeric, fennel, ajwain (carom) and black onion seeds, plus a drizzle of oil. Set that aside while you make a spice crust: “Separately toast a tablespoon of poppy seeds, a tablespoon of sesame seeds, and a tablespoon of desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan until the aromas are released.” Set that aside as well, then dry-fry peanuts until golden; once cool, chop and add to the spices. Singh then cooks finely chopped garlic in a little oil until golden, and tips it into a bowl with a half-teaspoon of red chilli powder, a teaspoon each of chaat masala and tamarind paste, and a tablespoon each of chopped fresh coriander and jaggery. Transfer the lot to a baking tray and pop in a 150C (130C fan)/300F/gas 2 oven for 10 minutes to dry out. Finally, sear the marinated aubergine on a barbecue or roast it in the oven, until “nicely coloured and tender”, then serve “sprinkled generously with the spice crust”, plus tamarind chutney and maybe a green salad.
Also low on the oil scale are Contaldo’s aubergine “pizzas”, in which the vegetable takes on the role of the base. He pricks aubergine slices with a fork, brushes them lightly with oil and bakes for 10 minutes, turning them once halfway. Top just as you would a pizza, with tomato sauce and mozzarella, then return to the oven until the cheese has melted: “Hallelujah!”
Whole roast aubergine, which Contaldo cooks “until the skin goes black”, could become polpette: peel off and discard the charred skin, mash the flesh, add garlic, herbs, cheese and breadcrumbs, then roll into balls and return to the oven.
Alternatively, says Andy Oliver, founder of Thai restaurants Som Saa and Kolae, both in London, char whole aubergines over an open flame or on a charcoal grill. Peel once they’re cool enough to handle, then “run a knife through the middle so the aubergine stays whole but fans out”. Top with lemon juice, olive oil, crumbled feta, herbs and chopped chilli, or, he says, “minced lamb cooked with spices plus chopped fresh herbs eat nicely together”. The smoky flesh could also be chopped and turned into myriad dishes, from curries to dips and relishes. For the latter, a staple in Thai cooking, Oliver sometimes cooks garlic, shallots and chillies, then pounds with the aubergine flesh and some shrimp paste: “That goes with grilled meats or fish, fresh or boiled vegetables, or into soups.”
That all said, frying is a classic for a reason. “Everything that’s fried is delicious,” Contaldo says. “If you don’t want to consume so much oil, just have it once a week, or have smaller portions.”
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