It is no secret that roasting a whole eggplant in the oven is the most hands-off method of cooking it. However, in my opinion, the method that delivers the most flavor is by cooking it on the stovetop on a direct flame.
If you are not familiar with this method, you might think of it being similar to grilling it but it is not. Instead, we cook eggplants over a direct flame on the gas burner by turning every few minutes to ensure even roasting. Some people also refer to this method as chargrilling as the eggplants get charred during the cooking process.
Why Cook Eggplant on A Gas Stove – Pros & Cons
Before I show you how to use this method, I want to lay out the pros and cons of it so that you can decide for yourself.
Pros:
- Delicate smoky flavor: Having been cooking eggplant since I was 10 years old, I do not know any other method that delivers the authentic smoky flavors that eggplant is known for.
- Fast: Depending on the size of your eggplants, you can roast a whole eggplant in about 15-20 minutes. In my experience, this is faster than roasting it in the oven or grilling it.
- Easy to batch cook & freeze: You can have several burners on and roast several eggplants at the same time. This way, you can roast a large batch, use some in recipes and freeze the rest for later. This is especially a good method if you are growing eggplants in your garden.
- No need to salt eggplant: You do not need to take the step of salting the eggplant before cooking it.
Cons:
- Gas stove: You need a gas stove with an open flame. I tried a few other ways, like grilling on a gas grill, but I couldn’t get the char that the direct flame delivers.
- It is not hands off: While it is quicker, you have to keep a close eye on it and turn it in every few minutes to ensure even roasting.
- It is messy: Below I will show you a quick tip to minimize the cleaning, but still there is a little bit of cleaning afterwards.
How To Fire Roast Eggplant on A Gas Stove Top:
For this method, I used the most popular (and widely available) globe eggplants. However, you can use other eggplant varieties like Italian eggplant and graffiti eggplant as well.
- Rinse & Dry: Rinse eggplants under cold running water. If there is a sticker on them, remove it. Dry with a kitchen towel or a paper towel. Set them aside.
- Prepare your gas range: Line the base of a gas range with aluminum foil making sure to keep the burners exposed. I usually cut out the part where the burners are located (as seen in the photo above) to make it easier for cleaning purposes later on.
- Turn the burners on: Turn the burners on medium heat and place eggplants directly on an open flame. I usually put 2 eggplants on the larger burners and 1 on the smaller ones.
- Roast: Roast eggplants for about 15-20 minutes (depending on their size), turning every 5 minutes or so using a pair of tongs being very careful not to burn yourself. You will know that it is fully roasted when the skin is burnt and flaky and the flesh is soft.
- Let them cool: Transfer the now-fire roasted eggplant onto a plate and let them cool. This may take between 10-15 minutes.
- Peel & Drain: Place a colander over a large bowl. When eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel them under cold running water by gently removing the black skin making sure to keep the flesh intact. If some burnt bits of skin are left behind that is okay. Discard the rest of the skin. Transfer the eggplant flesh (aka pulp) to the colander and let it drain for 10-15 minutes.
Alternatively, you can skip the whole peeling under the running water part and use a small spoon to separate the white flesh from the charred skin.
- Use it in your recipe or freeze for later use: When ready to use, give it a rough chop or mash them on a cutting board (or food processor) according to the recipe you are following. Or, freeze for later use (more on how-to freeze that below.) It is optional, but if there are large seeds, you can remove them with a knife.
How To Store & Freeze:
- Storage: Place fire roasted eggplant in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Once the roasted eggplants are fully drained, place the eggplant pulp in a freezer bag like Stasher (affiliate link) or Zip Lock and get the air out of it as much as you can.
Helpful Tips:
- Do not skip the draining process: This is especially important if you are going to make baba ganoush. If you skip this step, it will make your recipe soggy.
- Keep a close eye on the eggplants as they are cooking: For safety purposes, be sure to not leave the side of your eggplants as they are roasting on the gas stove.
- Be sure to season well: If you give your fire-roasted eggplants a taste, they might taste a bit bland. But you should think of it as a blank canvas begging to be flavored. You can make a quick tahini sauce by mixing tahini paste with fresh lemon juice, a few minced garlic cloves, olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper and drizzle it over eggplants. Or, give them a rough chop and mix with fresh produce like tomatoes, green or red onions, fresh parsley to make a chopped eggplant salad.
FAQs:
Do I need to remove the seeds?
The seeds are edible but you can remove the large visible seeds if you want. If your eggplants are older, sometimes seeds might have an unpleasant bitter taste so be sure to give it a quick taste to decide whether or not to remove them.
Do I need to salt eggplant before cooking on the gas stove?
No, you can salt it after it is chargrilled and peeled.
Is eggplant healthy?
Yes, it is. According to Healthline, ” Eggplant is a high-fiber, low-calorie food that is rich in nutrients and comes with many potential health benefits.”
Other Basic Cooking Methods For Eggplants:
Aubergine Recipes You Might Like:
- Eggplant Yogurt
- Eggplant Involtini
- Karniyarik – Turkish Ground Beef Stuffed Eggplants
- Vegan Stuffed Eggplants
- Eggplant Parm
Fire Roasted Eggplant Recipe – Cooking eggplants on stovetop
Learn how to make fire roasted eggplant by cooking eggplants on the stove top over direct flame to use in recipes like Stuffed Eggplants, Baba Ganoush, and Baingan Bharta.
Equipment
- Gas stove
- Tong
- Colander
Ingredients
- 2 globe eggplants
Instructions
- Rinse & Dry: Rinse eggplants under cold running water. If there is a sticker on them, remove it. Dry with a kitchen towel or a paper towel. Set them aside. There is no need to peel the eggplant for fire roasting it.
- Prepare your gas range: Line the base of a gas range with aluminum foil making sure to keep the burners exposed. I usually cut out the part where the burners are located to make it easier for cleaning purposes after the roasting process is completed.
- Turn the burners on: Turn the burners on medium-heat and place eggplants directly on an open flame. I usually put 2 eggplants on the larger burners and 1 on the smaller ones.
- Roast: Roast eggplants for about 15-20 minutes (depending on their size), turning every 5 minutes or so using a pair of tongs being very careful to not to burn yourself. You will know that it is fully roasted when the skin is burnt and flaky and the flesh is soft.
- Let them cool: Transfer the now-fire roasted eggplant onto a plate and let them cool. This may take between 10-15 minutes.
- Peel & Drain: Place a colander over a large bowl. When eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel them under cold running water by gently removing the black skin making sure to keep the flesh intact. If some burnt bits of skin are left behind that is okay. Discard the rest of the skin. Transfer the eggplant flesh to the colander and let it drain for 10-15 minutes*. Alternatively, you can skip the whole peeling under running water part and use a small spoon to separate the white flesh from the charred skin.
- Use it in your recipe or freeze for later use: When ready to use, give it a rough chop or mash them on a cutting board (or food processor) according to the recipe you are following. Or, freeze for later use.
Notes
- I listed only 2 eggplants in the ingredients list but you can cook as many eggplants as you like.
- I used globe eggplants but you can use other eggplants like graffiti eggplant, Italian eggplant, etc. The timing might be different but it would still work.
- Storage: Place fire-roasted eggplant in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Once the roasted eggplants are fully drained, place the eggplant pulp in a freezer bag like Stasher or Zip-Lock and get the air out of it as much as you can.
- Do not skip the draining process: This is especially important if you are going to make baba ganoush. If you skip this step, your recipe will turn out soggy.
- Keep a close eye on the eggplants as they are cooking: For safety purposes, be sure to not leave the side of your eggplants as they are roasting on the gas stove.
Nutrition
Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 1049mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thank you for showing a quick, simple way roast eggplants. I use your stove top method and my eggplants came out so beautiful and tasty.
Hi Sylvie,
It makes me so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. This is my favorite way of cooking eggplant and I was so happy that I was able to share.
Thanks for coming by.