When prepared, this dish resembles mushrooms and onions. This amazingly tasty appetizer goes well with meat dishes and potatoes. Preparing eggplants with onions for the winter will not cause difficulties, and the family will be provided with a delicious vegetable dish for the entire cold period. However, you shouldn’t stop only with the classic recipe. You can be creative and add new ingredients. This is how culinary masterpieces are born.
- Secrets of cooking eggplants with onions for the winter
- Rules for choosing ingredients
- How to properly prepare containers?
- The best cooking methods
- A simple recipe for eggplants with onions and garlic
- Option with carrots
- Spicy fried blueberries with onions
- How and for how long can the finished product be stored?
Secrets of cooking eggplants with onions for the winter
When preparing eggplants, you can use a selection of the following recommendations:
- The classic recipe contains two main products: eggplant and onions. You can add carrots, garlic, bell peppers, change the amount of hot pepper, making the finished dish spicier. Some people add tomatoes.
- Each housewife makes preparations, taking into account the taste preferences of her family. Therefore, you can add your favorite spices, and not just stop at black pepper.
- Before cooking, vegetables should be doused with boiling liquid to remove bitterness. Another way to remove bitterness is to soak in salted water for half an hour. Some housewives remove the peel to avoid bitterness, but this is optional.
For your information! The peel contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and useful substances, one of which is nazunin, which is a powerful antioxidant.
Rules for choosing ingredients
The success of the finished dish also depends on the right products:
- Vegetables must be fresh and have thick skin. A sluggish peel and stalk indicate that the product is not fresh.
- Eggplants must be of high quality without signs of rot or damage.
- The fruits are chosen young; they should not be large and overripe, otherwise they will contain ripened seeds, which will add bitterness to the finished dish. In addition, overripe fruits produce solanine, a toxic substance that can cause poisoning.
How to properly prepare containers?
Containers and lids must be clean and dry. It is recommended to wash them using baking soda.
There is no need to sterilize the container, since the preparation technology includes a sterilization stage.
The best cooking methods
There are many recipes for cooking eggplants with the “mushroom” flavor, but they are all based on the classic recipe.
A simple recipe for eggplants with onions and garlic
This dish will please even the most sophisticated gourmet. To prepare eggplant according to the classic recipe you need:
- eggplants – 3-3.2 kilograms;
- garlic – 7-8 cloves;
- onion – 1.3 kilograms;
- salt – 20 grams;
- black pepper – 3-4 peas;
- sunflower oil – 70 milliliters;
- vinegar - 160 milliliters;
- water – 370 milliliters;
- sugar – 45 grams;
- laurel leaf.
Sequencing:
- Wash the eggplants, cut off the stems. Cut the vegetables into cubes and add salt (one tablespoon is required). Leave for half an hour, they will release juice.
- Peel the garlic and chop using a grater or garlic press.
- Peel the onion and cut into half rings.
- Rinse the eggplant cubes with water and squeeze. Saute in batches in oil until golden, but do not fry too much. Place in a separate container. Add onion and garlic. Mix everything.
- Prepare the marinade: boil water, add the specified amount of salt, sugar, add bay leaf and pepper. If desired, you can add coriander and curry. Stir until the components are completely dissolved. Pour marinade over vegetables, add vinegar. Stir well.
- After 2-3 hours, place the vegetable mass into clean containers, pour in the marinade, and cover with lids.
- Place the jars in a container of warm water. There should be fabric at the bottom. Sterilize after boiling water for 15 minutes. Close tightly.
Option with carrots
Carrots will add a pleasant sweetness to the finished dish, it will look brighter and more festive.
The presence of vinegar will make the finished dish marinated, with a pleasant piquant sourness.
Necessary:
- carrots – 350 grams;
- eggplants – 1 kilogram;
- onion – 350 grams;
- black pepper – 5-7 grams;
- garlic – 2-3 cloves;
- sunflower oil – 30 milliliters;
- water – 180 milliliters;
- vinegar - 70 milliliters;
- sugar – 25 grams;
- salt – 10 grams.
Sequencing:
- Wash the vegetables, cut into cubes, sprinkle with salt (half a tablespoon). Leave for 30 minutes.
- Peel the onions and carrots. Grate the carrots into long strips. You can use a Korean carrot grater. Add chopped garlic and mix everything. Cut the onion into half rings.
- Squeeze the eggplants and sauté in oil in parts until golden. Do not use a lot of oil, as this vegetable absorbs it quickly.
- Place all ingredients in prepared jars in layers: eggplants, grated carrots, onions. If desired, you can add tomato rings; they will harmonize the taste with these vegetables. It will turn out beautiful. So fill the jars.
- Prepare the filling: add salt, sugar and pepper to the specified amount of liquid. Boil, stirring, until the ingredients are completely dissolved. Pour in vinegar.
- Cover the bottom of the sterilization container with a cloth, place the jars, and cover with lids. Sterilize for a quarter of an hour after boiling. Close tightly.
Spicy fried blueberries with onions
The amount of hot pepper used may vary depending on the taste preferences of family members.
Necessary:
- eggplants – 3 kilograms;
- onion – 1 kilogram;
- oil for frying – 210 milliliters;
- sweet pepper – 0.5 kilograms;
- garlic – 7-8 cloves;
- vinegar - 170 milliliters;
- salt – 25 grams;
- sugar – 40 grams;
- hot pepper - 1 pod.
Sequencing:
- Wash the eggplants and cut into rings 1 centimeter thick. Sprinkle with salt, stir, leave for 30 minutes to allow the juice to separate.
- Prepare a spicy marinade: peel the pepper from seeds, chop using a meat grinder along with peeled garlic cloves. Pour vinegar, add salt and sugar. Stir.
- Squeeze the eggplants and dry them on a paper towel so that the oil splatters less when frying. Fry on both sides. Do not pour a lot of oil, as the vegetable will quickly absorb it. Place in prepared marinade. Leave for half an hour.
- Carefully place the vegetables into clean containers and pour in the remaining marinade. Leave to sterilize for 15 minutes. Close with airtight lids.
How and for how long can the finished product be stored?
Blanks made in compliance with the cooking technology can be stored indoors for up to a year, in a cold, dark room for up to 2 years.