Thai eggplant (Thai: มะเขือ, RTGS: makhuea) is the name for several varieties of eggplant used in Southeast Asian cuisines, most often of the eggplant species Solanum melongena.[1] They are also cultivated in India and Sri Lanka and feature in Sri Lankan cuisine. These golf ball sized eggplants are commonly used in Thai cuisine, Indonesian cuisine, and in Cambodian Cuisine. Some of the cultivars in Thailand are Thai Purple, Thai Green, Thai Yellow, and Thai White.
Uses
editCulinary
editThe green-white varieties of Thai eggplants are essential ingredients in Thai curry dishes such as in kaeng tai pla,[2] green[3] and red curry. They are often halved or quartered, but can also be used whole, and cooked in the curry sauce where they become softer and absorb the flavor of the sauce. They are also eaten raw in Thai salads or with Thai chili pastes (nam phrik).[4][5][6]
Sometimes, in Thai restaurants outside of Thailand, Thai eggplants are replaced by locally available eggplants.
In Cambodian cuisine, they are often served raw with dipping sauce or cooked in stews.[7] One of the most popular Cambodian steak sauces known as tuk prahok is made with the green-white variety[8] (Khmer: ត្រប់ស្រួយ, romanized: trob sruoy).
In the Philippines, it was used in Ilocano cuisine, specifically in pinakbet and dinengdeng dishes. Boiled eggplant is frequently served with soy sauce and calamansi or dipping sauces made from bagoong, a fermented fish or shrimp paste.[1][2]
Gallery
edit-
The flowers of the Thai eggplant -
The fruit of the Thai eggplant. The white residue on the leaves is common. -
A purple-white type of eggplant used in Thailand -
Kaeng tai pla with Thai eggplants and bamboo shoots -
The eggplants are often eaten raw in Thailand, for instance in som tam Lao -
Phla nuea makhuea on is a Thai salad of medium rare beef and nearly raw sliced Thai eggplant -
Yellow and white makhuea pro (Thai eggplant) in the background, fritters made from makhuea muang (purple eggplant) in the foreground, served with nam phrik kapi, a chili paste containing makhuea phuang (Thai pea-sized eggplants)
See also
edit- List of Thai ingredients
- Solanum torvum (RTGS: makhuea phuang) for the pea-sized eggplants used in Thai cuisine; sometimes substituted by green peas outside of Thailand[9]
- Lao eggplant for common cultivar types in Laos such as Lao Green Stripe, Lao Purple Stripe, Lao Lavender, and Lao White
- Vietnamese eggplant
References
edit- ^ a b "Know your eggplant-Asian species, types and cultivars". unimelb.edu.au/. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Jeab's veggies". Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Thai Green Curry with Chicken & Eggplant". ImportFood.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Authentic Spicy Thai Green Papaya Salad : Som Tam". The High Heel Gourmet. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Nam Prik Ong (Pork and Tomato Relish) - Recipes - Poh's Kitchen". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Thai Apple Eggplant". Temple of Thai. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ De Monteiro, Longteine; Neustadt, Katherine (1998). The Elephant Walk Cookbook: Cambodian Cuisine from the Nationally Acclaimed Restaurant. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 283. ISBN 0395892538.
- ^ Laux, Channy (27 December 2019). "Steak with Prahok Salsa". Angkor Chef. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Question about local ingredients... does anyone put peas in their Thai curry?". CHOW. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
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