Fresh Australian Eggplant
ALDI Eggplants are Aussie Eggplants
Our Australian eggplants are here and ripe for the picking! Fresh from growers across Down Under, we know you won’t be able to get your hands off our locally-grown eggplants.
Meet our eggplant experts.
With two decades of ALDI experience under their belt, Carter & Spencer’s continuing passion and commitment to feeding Australians fresh and tasty food remains at the core of what they do. You can find their farms out near Bundaberg, Queensland, where they grow their eggplants hydroponically in a protected greenhouse environment. This helps them produce healthy crops, year round, so they can keep ALDI families happy for more decades to come.
Nifty eggplant facts
Colourful eggplants
Eggplants come in a variety of shapes and colors, ranging from the familiar deep purple to vibrant shades of green, white, and even striped varieties.
How to store your eggplant
The fridge isn’t always the best place for your eggplants. They prefer a cool and dark environment like a pantry or wine cooler.
Is an eggplant a vegetable or a fruit?
Eggplants belong to the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. Although these all sound like vegetables, they’re actually technically fruit! This is because eggplants and other nightshade fruits contain multiple seeds and fruit from a flower.
Love your eggplant the right way
Raw eggplant can taste bitter, that’s why we recommend cooking until tender so you can enjoy a rich and complex flavour.
How should I prepare eggplant for cooking?
How you prepare your eggplant is dependent on how you wish to cook your eggplant! Below are some of the main ways to prepare eggplant for cooking:
• Frying – slice thinly, and salt for 30 mins before frying. This will ensure all excess water is removed allowing your fried eggplant to be as crispy as possible.
• Grilling – slice your eggplant into 1cm thick rounds.
• Curries and pastas – cut into thick quarters and cook down until they’re translucent.
How to cook eggplant in an air fryer
Panko fried eggplant is a great way to create a delicious snack or addition to Japanese (curries) or Italian cooking (pastas) using an air fryer. Check out how to cook panko air fried eggplant below.
1. Preheat your air fryer to 170 degrees.
2. Remove all moisture from your eggplant slices by sprinkling salt on both sides of the slices and leaving to drain in a colander for 30 minutes.
3. Lay out two shallow bowls that you’ll use for battering your eggplant slices. These will include a bowl with whisked egg and a bowl with panko crumbs, flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
4. Pat your drained eggplant slices dry. Then, batter your eggplant by dipping them into the egg mixture, then rolling them in the crumb mixture.
5. Place the battered eggplant on a single layer in the air fryer and fry for 17-20 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking process.
Can you eat eggplant skin?
When preparing eggplant, be sure to cut off the top and bottom but keep the skin on. Eggplant skin isn’t just delicious, it’s nutritious as well. The deep purple skin of eggplant contains the antioxidant nasunin which has been found to preserve and protect cell membranes and reduce free radicals.
Crowd-pleasing eggplant recipe ideas
Eggplant is hugely versatile, meaning the cooking options are near endless! If you’re not sure where to start, or you’re looking for creative new ways to cook your eggplants, check out the below list of our favourite eggplant recipes. Egg-cellent!
