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Substitutions · 14 dishes here use it
A sponge, and that is the whole problem and the whole opportunity. It will absorb every drop of oil you give it, so either commit to the oil or roast it dry first and add the fat afterward.
Everything below is judged against that job. A swap that covers it is a swap; one that only looks similar is not.
2 of the 14 dishes here that mention eggplant list it as optional — 14% of them. In those, the correct substitution is nothing.
Functional substitution system
For eggplant, the page's working definition is: A sponge, and that is the whole problem and the whole opportunity. It will absorb every drop of oil you give it, so either commit to the oil or roast it dry first and add the fat afterward. The swap cards below are judged against that job rather than visual resemblance.
Job → candidate → side effects → small test → correct.
1 · Job
What is the missing ingredient doing?
2 · Candidate
Choose the shelf item that replaces that function.
3 · Side effects
Check water, fat, salt, acid, sweetness, and texture.
4 · Small test
Change a spoonful or small portion first when possible.
5 · Correct
Taste again and move only the axis that is still wrong.
Instead · 1
one for one
Instead · 2
one for one by weight
Instead · 3
one for one by weight
These dishes list eggplant as optional. They were written to work without it, so no ratio is needed and nothing has to be bought.
These need it and are short enough that nothing hides: 4 required ingredients or fewer. Make the swap a decision rather than a repair.
The company eggplant keeps in this library, counted off required ingredients. A swap that argues with the top two is the wrong swap, whatever a chart says.