Eggplant

Fish fragrant sauce doesn’t actually have any fish in it, but the sweet, sour, and spicy elements in the sauce are traditionally used to cook Sichuan fish dishes, and it gives this dish its name.

Since Chinese eggplant has fewer seeds, it is noticeably less bitter than its fellow nightshades. This makes it the perfect ensemble player in this cast of heat, ginger, and garlic.

When grilled (or broiled) whole, eggplants get silky and smoky inside and charred on the exterior—perfect for mashing and mixing with sautéed onion, garlic, and fresh tomato.

If you haven’t tried eggplant with butter before, this will be a revelation. It is delicious and silky and makes for the best starter or sharing dish. Add some fresh herbs too, if you have them.

In this recipe, summer produce gets stuffed with spiced ground lamb and cooked in an oniony tomato sauce. Top it off with crispy garlic, herbs, and yogurt.

This grilling method gives similar crispy skins and creamy interiors to eggplant, which need just a handful of toppings to get full-on delicious.

Green curry with chicken and eggplant from Chef Hong Thaimee.

Here, eggplant gets halved lengthwise, drenched in olive oil, and roasted. It never quite crisps, but it browns and caramelizes while the rest of it turns to the texture of a perfectly just set 6-minute egg.

When you have more eggplant and squash than you know what to do with, turn to this quick curry.