Also known asThai Aubergine · Thai Brinjal · Makhua Pro · Solanum aethiopicum
Name: Thai eggplant (Solanum melongena) — a small, round, golf-ball-sized eggplant, usually pale green or green-and-white striped, with a crisp, slightly bitter flesh and many seeds. The smaller pea eggplant (Solanum torvum) is a different plant.
Description
Thai eggplants are a type of the common eggplant, developed in Southeast Asia, where small round varieties are the norm. They are a staple of Thai curries, particularly green curry, where they are added in quarters or whole, and are also popular in salads and stir-fries.
The flesh is firm and cooks without turning to mush, holding its shape in the curry sauce, while absorbing its flavour. It has a slightly bitter, vegetal taste, which pairs well with coconut milk, chillies and herbs, and the seeds are edible.
Main nutrition value
Thai eggplants are low in calories and provide fibre, manganese and potassium, with some vitamin C and antioxidant compounds in the skin.
How best to be consumed
Thai eggplants are cooked, usually in curries.
- Quarter or halve and add to Thai green or red curry in the last 10 minutes.
- Stir-fry with basil, chilli and garlic.
- Slice thinly and eat raw with chilli dips, as in some Thai dishes.
- Grill whole, then peel and use in salads.
- Choose small, firm, glossy fruits, and cook them within a few days.
Overconsumption could cause…
Thai eggplant is safe and healthy in food amounts when cooked.
- Reactions in a small number of people sensitive to nightshade plants, such as joint or digestive complaints, though evidence is limited.
- Bitterness and digestive upset from eating them raw in quantity.
- A lot of coconut milk and oil in rich curries.
- Allergic reactions in rare cases.
Wikipedia — Eggplant, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant
Comments
No comments yet.
Log in to leave a comment.