Ingredient

Aubergine

A raw aubergine is a sponge full of air pockets, and dropped into oil it will absorb an alarming amount of it. Every good aubergine technique is a way of collapsing that structure before the oil gets in.

Why it drinks oil

The flesh of a raw aubergine is full of tiny air-filled cavities. Put it in hot oil and the air escapes and oil rushes in to replace it, which is why a few slices can absorb several tablespoons in seconds.

Once the aubergine cooks, those cell walls collapse and the structure closes up — and much of the oil is squeezed back out. So an aubergine cooked through is far less greasy than one taken out halfway, which is the opposite of what people expect and the reason under-cooked aubergine is the worst version of it.

The other answers are to collapse the structure first — by salting, microwaving briefly, or brushing with oil and roasting rather than frying — or to cook it whole over direct heat so it steams itself from the inside.

The methods

Roasted in chunks

Tossed in oil, high heat, well spread out, until collapsed and deeply browned. The easiest reliable method.

Brushed and griddled

Sliced, brushed lightly with oil rather than soaked, on a very hot griddle.

Charred whole

Directly on a gas flame or under a hot grill until the skin blackens and it collapses. The flesh goes smoky and silky. This is how baba ganoush is made.

Fried

Traditional and delicious, and it will absorb oil. Salt it first, get the oil properly hot, and drain on a rack.

Braised

In a tomato sauce, slowly, until it dissolves. The basis of caponata and many curries.

Not for

Quick, gentle cooking. Aubergine that is not fully cooked is spongy and unpleasant.

Should you salt it?

Modern varieties are bred to be much less bitter than they were, so the traditional reason for salting — drawing out bitterness — is largely obsolete.

It still does two useful things. It draws out water, which helps the aubergine brown rather than steam, and it begins collapsing the sponge structure so it absorbs less oil. Both effects are real if modest.

So: worth doing for frying, where oil absorption is the issue, and for anything where you want good browning. Not worth doing for roasting at a high heat, or for charring whole, where the method handles it.

Buying and storing

• Firm, glossy, heavy for its size, with a green rather than brown stem cap.
• Press it gently — the flesh should spring back. A dent that stays means it is old and will be seedy and bitter.
• Smaller aubergines have fewer seeds and less bitterness.
• Store at cool room temperature rather than the fridge, where they suffer chilling damage and go pitted and brown.
• Use within a few days. They deteriorate faster than they look.

Common questions