Eggplant & zucchini?!
can you steam eggplant & zucchini, or do you have to stir fry it? Also, what are some good flavors to mix with them to get their best flavor?
Answers: I'm vegan & want to expand my horizons so to speak. Especially with new fruits & veggies. One of my new year's resolutions is to try as much new produce as I can(or am willing to).
can you steam eggplant & zucchini, or do you have to stir fry it? Also, what are some good flavors to mix with them to get their best flavor?
You can steam zucchini, stir fry it, and deep fry it using a breading. For eggplant,you can stir fry, deep fry, and make Baba Ghanoush (an indian eggplant dip) You can also incorporate zucchini into your lasagna, or making eggplant Parmesan. If you have a George foreman grill, you brush both veggies with olive oil, season them a little bit, and grill them. That's also good.
Good luck!
I don't know about the eggplant but I eat my zucchini raw in a salad or with dips..I put it in soups and stews and I love it in lasagna.
i looove eggplant. especially an iranian dish my parents make (i'll include the URL for the recipe) it has a tomato sauce in it, and we put yogurt over it and eat with bread. absolutely delicious and very healthy!
its funny you ask this, my father is making it at the moment for tonight!
First, yes, I have successfully steamed zucchini, eggplant and several varieties of squash. If you are going to make a habit of steaming tough-skinned veggies, I HIGHLY recommend getting a pressure cooker - they steam much more thoroughly and leave the veggies nice and tender, without making them too "squishy". I also have a recipe for eggplant that my veg family LOVES:
Vegetarian Moussaka
(Servings: 8-10)
- Tomato sauce
- 2 large onions (1 lb.), peeled and sliced
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 900g (2 lb.) canned whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1/2 small carrot (3 oz.), peeled and finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper (1 oz.), seeded and finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cake of firm tofu, well drained and mashed
- 4 T Kikkoman Soy Sauce
- Basil, oregano, salt, pepper to taste
- 4 Italian eggplants (2 lb.), sliced in 1.5cm round slices
- Vegetable oil for frying
- White sauce
- 2 T each butter and flour
- 2 C milk, warmed
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- A few drops of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
- Salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste
- Others
- Vegetable oil for greasing
- Grated cheese to taste
- To make tomato sauce, fry the onions in the oil, then add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, carrot, bell pepper and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook over low heat, pressing occasionally until the liquid appears. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 1 hour, or until the liquid has been reduced by half.
- Add the tofu and stir. Season with the soy sauce, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until thick.
- Fry the eggplants in the oil until soft, but not brown. Drain the eggplants.
- For white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, sprinkle the flour, and stir to make a roux. Add the milk, stirring with a whisk to make a smooth sauce.
- Remove the sauce from the heat. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolk with a bit of the warm sauce, stirring constantly.
- Add this mixture to the remaining sauce. Season the sauce with the soy sauce, salt, pepper and a generous amount of nutmeg.
- In a large greased baking dish, repeat layers of the eggplants, tomato sauce, cheese, and a generous sprinkling of soy sauce, pepper and nutmeg, beginning and ending with an eggplant layer.
- Pour the white sauce over the top layer, and top with more cheese. Bake in the center of a 180C/355F oven for 40 minutes, until the top is bubbly and browned.
Eggplant & zucchini? Hey I think she's talkin to you maggie....LOL...oh wait you're a soybean. I forgot :-)
Slowly saute the zucchini in butter/or butter substitute I guess and sprinkle just a wee bit of seasoned salt on it after it reaches your desired doneness. Cook it real slow though.
You can steam either. Not the best. Eggplant is wonderful grilled over charcoal. Both are great in a stir fry with or without tomato. I like zuchini with some potato, onion and olive oil. Eggplant, I like with capers, and tomato.
Skully made a pretty good point about grilling it over charcoal.
I really like this recipe:
http://www.vegalicious.org/2007/08/02/gr...
I've only done it once for a special dinner, but it was really delicious... I love using soba noodles in any recipe, you can get them from Asian food stores or even in the Asian section of regular chain stores (like Jewel Osco/Albertsons).