Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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While eggplant and oil make good partners, grilled eggplant also makes for an attractive, mouth-watering dish. When the skin is grilled and removed, the texture turns thick and smooth, and the toasty flavor will make you hungry for more.

Peeling becomes easy when the eggplant is cooked over direct heat on a grilling grid and the skin is thoroughly charred. When this is done, immerse it in water and then quickly remove the skin. This way, the eggplant will not become watery and should remain warm inside.

Although you can use your kitchen’s built-in fish grill, the eggplant will take longer to finish cooking than when cooked over direct heat.

One of the great features of grilled eggplant is that a variety of different touches can be added, making it a very flexible dish. For instance, dishes where the eggplant is dressed either in a sesame or peanut-based sauce nicely blend the light-flavored eggplant together with the rich taste of the sauce.

The grilled eggplant can be easily westernized into a marinated dish if you sprinkle it lightly with salt and pepper and pour some olive oil on top. You could also chop it up and use it as an ingredient for a tomato-based pasta sauce.

This week’s arranged version introduces a Middle Eastern-style dip that is marked by the flavor of white sesame seeds.

SELECTING AND STORING EGGPLANTS

An expert on eggplants at Takii & Co., a vegetable seed and nursery company known for the “Senryo” variety of eggplant, offered tips on how to choose crisp, tasty eggplants and how best to store them.

The secret is choosing eggplants with dark and glossy skin and the right amount of springiness. If the cut end of the calyx has turned brown, it means that several days have passed since it was harvested. Try to buy ones with calyxes that have not changed color.

Avoid storing eggplants at low temperatures and keep them from drying out.

To prevent their water content from evaporating, wrap the eggplants in newspaper or other materials, place in a plastic bag, close it and then store it in the vegetable compartment of your fridge. As small dents and discoloration may occur on the surface when they are cooled for too long, the eggplants should be eaten as quickly as possible.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Akiko Watanabe in the cooking aspect and Midori Kasai in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients & Utensils (Serve two)

2 eggplants, grilling grid, fork

About 15 kcal and 0 grams salt per portion

1. Rinse eggplant and pat dry. Place grilling grid on high heat. Adjust heat level so tip of flame touches skin of eggplant (PHOTO A).

2. Grill for about 1 minute without moving eggplant. Rotate a little and grill for another minute. Repeat until entire surface turns black. This may take about 5 minutes in total. Since wooden chopsticks may burn, it is better to use a fork (PHOTO B).

3. Immerse burnt eggplant in water and then remove skin by rubbing with the balls of your fingers (PHOTO C). Once most of the skin is removed, drain water and then refill. Rinse and drain eggplant on sieve. If peeled quickly enough, it will still be warm inside even after being immersed in water.

4. Serve on plate. Top with grated ginger or dried skipjack tuna shavings and season with soy sauce or dipping sauce for noodles to taste. It also tastes good in miso soup.

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Akiko Watanabe is a cooking expert specializing in Japanese cuisine.

Midori Kasai is a professor at Ochanomizu University and former chairwoman of the Japan Society of Cookery Science.

ARRANGED VERSION

Eggplant dip in Middle Eastern style (Serves two)

Pat dry 2 grilled and peeled eggplants and cut off calyx. Finely chop with kitchen knife and then pound into paste. Grate 1/4 clove garlic. Add garlic, 2 tsp white sesame paste, 1 tsp each of lemon juice and olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and a bit of black pepper in bowl and mix.

Add eggplant and mix further. Serve flat on plate and pour some olive oil in a circular motion. Enjoy on thin slices of baguette and others.

COOKERY SCIENCE

The chlorogenic acid found in eggplants is a type of polyphenol that causes the astringent taste and discoloration of the cut ends. Since the discoloration occurs through the reaction of an oxidative enzyme and oxygen, an effective way to prevent this is to immerse the cut pieces in water to break contact with oxygen. By doing so, the eggplant is less likely to taste astringent when it is stir-fried or deep-fried in oil.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column