Question: Bitter Baba Ghannouj
Help! I just made baba ghannouj and it tastes very bitter. What did I do wrong?
Answer: Eggplant is a stubborn vegetable. It could be extra bitter for a couple of reasons. Perhaps it was picked too early, but I suspect that it was not cooked long enough. A well cooked eggplant's skin should be easy to peel off.
Another tip is to slice the eggplant in half lengthwise after cooking. Sprinkle generously with salt and then allow to cool. After 20 minutes, rinse with water, and press out the excess water. That should knock out any bitterness.
Finally, when it comes to eggplant, size does matter. Smaller eggplants generally are less bitter than the large ones because they have less seeds.
