Many people think that eggplants will turn black after being fried, but this is not the case. As long as the cooking method is proper, the eggplant can still maintain a light yellow or light green color after cooking, and the taste will also be exceptionally tender and moist.
Why do eggplants turn black? It turns out that there is a type of substance called "phenol oxidase" in eggplant. After it sees oxygen, it will chemically react with the abundant "phenolic" substances in eggplant to produce some colored substances. The longer the reaction time, the darker the color, from red to brown, from brown to black. Although this enzyme is annoying, it also has weaknesses: it is afraid of high temperatures, acid, vitamin C, and cannot "do bad things" without oxygen. Once you master this rule, you can easily conquer it.
When frying eggplants, it is best to add more oil, add some pepper or garlic slices and fry until fragrant. Add the eggplants and stir them constantly. When they are almost cooked, add salt and garlic to taste, and then add a small amount of white vinegar or tomatoes. Man. The eggplant fried in this way does not turn black and has a rich and delicious flavor. This is because when there is a lot of oil, the eggplant will be wrapped in the oil as soon as it comes into the pot, cutting off the air first. The oil temperature is already high, and oil transfers heat faster than water, so the temperature of the eggplant rises quickly. When it exceeds 70 degrees Celsius, most of the enzymes lose their activity. Coupled with the vitamin C in tomatoes and the acid in vinegar, it has no chance of "making trouble". By frying the eggplants in this way, they still retain a nice color even without peeling them.
When making roasted eggplant, because the eggplant pieces must be fried thoroughly in the oil pan first, the enzymes have been fully killed. After taking them out and adding other seasonings, they will not turn black again. happened. But why do most people still turn black when they cook eggplants? First of all, too little oil was put in, which could not fully isolate the air, and the enzyme could not be completely deactivated by scalding, leaving future troubles. Secondly, the salt and soy sauce are put in too early, which releases a lot of water, which is conducive to the full access of enzymes and phenols. Furthermore, the temperature of the water rises very slowly, so the surface temperature of the eggplant is also low, creating an opportunity for the enzyme to "live on". If you add some cold water, it will be even worse. By the time the eggplant is cooked, the pot will be dark!
However, good-looking eggplants inevitably contain too much fat. If you want to eat eggplant dishes with very low calories, it is best to steam or bake them, such as steaming eggplants, mixing eggplant puree, etc.