What to cook with brinjal

Brinjal needs either real heat or real time, and the middle ground is where it goes wrong. Undercooked, it is spongy and bitter; properly cooked, it collapses into something silky.

Charring it whole on an open flame until the skin blackens is the single best thing you can do to an aubergine, and it takes twelve minutes of doing nothing.

Worth knowing: Sit cut pieces in salted water while you prep. It stops them browning and draws out bitterness.