Eggplant

The best type to use is the long, slender, deep purple Japanese eggplant, although long, lavender Chinese eggplants are fine, too. Both have denser flesh and far fewer seeds than larger varieties.

Choose firm, unblemished eggplants with no discoloration or soft spots. If you must use a large globe eggplant, slice it into rounds or sticks, and discard the section with the most seeds, which could make dishes look dark and unappealing.

My recipes often call for frying the eggplant in oil first by itself and then cooking it in a sauce, which creates a soft texture and a rich taste. It is best not to fry eggplants straight from the refrigerator because cold eggplants soak up more oil than room- temperature eggplants.