“I never know what to do with eggplant,” said my Food Coop squad mate. “What?” I said, baffled. “You can do everything with it!”

To me, an eggplant is as versatile as a potato, and I would guess it’s even more nutritious. As a young picky eater, eggplants were the only vegetable I would eat, and I liked them fried and dipped in soy sauce and lime. Because of their size, Asian eggplants are much easier to cook whole without slicing and having the pieces dry up during grilling. Grilling Asian eggplants on a stove top gives them a delicious burnt flavor and is my preferred way of cooking them, but in a pinch baked eggplants almost always suffice.

They are tasty enough on their own and are even better with condiments. Baked Asian eggplants wrapped in foil make a great side dish, and may also be peeled and chopped to make a nice salad.