Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Eggplant
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the eggplant
Peel and cut three slices of the purple kind.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let drain on a tipped plate for three-quarters of an hour.
Fry the slices
Make a light batter with one egg, flour, and a little water.
Dip the slices into the batter and fry in butter or lard.
(Optional) Use eggs and cracker instead of the batter.
Make the baked eggplant
Or, peel the eggplant, boil until done, then pour off the water.
Mash the boiled eggplant finely, and season with pepper, butter, and salt to taste.
Put the mash in a shallow pudding pan.
Place a thick layer of crushed cracker on top.
Bake for half an hour in a moderate oven.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Egg + vinegartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,922 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and vinegar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,922 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggplant (in the method)
- Forms the body of the dish, becoming tender when drained, fried, or boiled and mashed.
- Egg
- Binds the light batter so it coats the slices and sets as they fry.
- Flour (in the method)
- Thickens the batter so it clings to the eggplant slices while frying.
- Cracker crumbs (in the method)
- Forms a crisp, browned topping over the mashed eggplant in the oven.
The step that matters
Draining the eggplant slices. Eggplant holds a lot of water. Salting and draining for three-quarters of an hour pulls out moisture, so the slices fry crisp rather than soggy and the batter does not slide off.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, vinegar):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More fried eggplant recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.