Twelve delicious ways to cook eggplant
From moussakas to parmigianas, from Yotam Ottolenghi to David Herbert, these recipes prove this versatile vegetable should be in your trolley every week.
There are more ways to cook eggplant than you probably know. The mostly underrated vegetable can be found in hearty moussakas, punchy eggplant curries, or smothered in unami-packed miso sauce. They definitely don’t belong to the wilting corner of the crisper. Read on to find out how esteemed food writers and chefs, including the beloved David Herbert and revered Yotam Ottolenghi, love to cook this humble and reliable vegetable.
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Yotam Ottolenghi’s stuffed eggplant in curry and coconut dahl
You can make this whole dish a day ahead. Chill in the fridge and bring to room temperature before warming up. The coconut dahl is a great recipe in its own right. Double it, if you like, and save some for another meal. You know when it’s an Ottolenghi it is going to be packed with flavour.
Get Ottolenghi’s stuffed eggplant in curry and coconut dahl here.
David Herbert’s moussaka
This delicious and hearty Greek dish, with layers of eggplant and lamb topped with béchamel sauce, is perfect fare for winter. David Herbert recommends preparing it 24 hours ahead and then baking it on the day. Perfect for a pre-prepped Monday night dinner or for filling your house with that gourmet scent when you have people over.
Get David Herbert’s hearty moussaka recipe here.
Somer Sivrioglu’s chargrilled eggplant and burnt butter yoghurt
Yoghurt, drained and thickened overnight and whisked with nut-brown butter, is a perfect match for smoky eggplant. This dish, served as a side at Anason in Barangaroo, is designed to share. Very simple but super impressive.
Get the chargrilled eggplant and burnt butter recipe here.
David Herbert’s eggplant parmigiana
Eggplant parmigiana is a southern Italian favourite. This is a hearty meat-free dish that will even get the skeptics on board. And this recipe is by David Herbert - so you bet it can be prepared ahead of time and chilled for up to a day before cooking.
Get David Herbert’s eggplant parmigiana recipe here.
Smoky whole eggplants by Tom Walton
No vegetable dish gets chef Tom Walton more excited than charred eggplant – it’s a feast for the senses and takes him straight back to his childhood. Cooking vegetables whole this way is so often overlooked, but it’s a great technique for creating amazing flavours with minimum fuss.
Get this delicious recipe here.
David Herbert’s seared beef, eggplant and pea salad
These simple, tasty salads are the result of a quick dash to the supermarket and a few ingredients from the fridge. Frozen peas and fresh herbs add flavour, texture and colour. Better yet, this dish is affordable too.
Get David Herbert’s simple salad recipe here.
Barbecue miso eggplant by Yumi Stynes
Watch the eggplant as it cooks – after about 15 minutes it suddenly becomes luxuriously soft, hot and creamy. You don’t want to leave it on too long after that as it will get mushy. Try to avoid eggplants with hard skin – they tend to be bitter. Yumi Styne’s cooking reflects her Japanese-Australian heritage and this recipe is an edited extract from The Zero F*cks Cookbook.
Get the miso eggplant recipe here.
David Herbert’s eggplant curry and dahl
In a cost of living crisis, dahl is your friend. If you are looking for flavourful vegetarian main courses or side dishes, this Indian-style recipe is must-try. There is no “right” consistency for dahl: adjust the liquid to your taste. The eggplant recipe is Balti style, in which most of the liquid is cooked away.
Get the eggplant curry and dahl recipes here.
Lamb shoulder and eggplant tagine by Shane Della
You can’t beat eating a traditional tagine in the Sahara. The atmosphere of eating under the stars in the desert with Berbers is an experience that is hard to match. But you can try. Here’s a rendition of a traditional Moroccan tagine – without the magical setting, admittedly, but packed full of beauty in the complex flavours of the dish.
Get the traditional recipe here.
David Herbert’s baked eggplant with pork or meat-free fillings
Traditionally a Chinese dish, you can make these baked eggplants with pork or you can make the dish vegetarian. The sauce is packed with flavour and you can eat it on its own, or with rice. After this, eggplant boats will be on rotation in your house.
Get the baked eggplant recipe here.
David Herbert’s layered eggplant and tomatoes
Watch how roasting an eggplant transforms into a winter wonder by layering them with a jammy sauce made with tomatoes and capsicum and served with a tangy natural yoghurt.
Get the layered eggplant and tomatoes recipe here.
Grilled mackerel with barley, eggplant and garlic yoghurt by Necia Wilden
Mackerel would have to be one of the most underrated fish in Australia. Ironically, most of the catch is ground into food for farmed fish, which end up with nowhere near the incredible flavour and texture of mackerel. Grilled slowly over coals, it offers a wonderful eating experience: the natural oils in the fish mean it stays juicy and succulent, and the flesh absorbs the smokiness from the grill.
Get the grilled mackerel with barley, eggplant and garlic yoghurt here.