From long, skinny Japanese eggplant to the big and fat globe variety ... farmers cultivate eggplants as far north as New York, but they usually grow best in sunnier southern states.

Buy Chinese or Japanese eggplants that are as thin as possible ... Dip a piece of egg­plant into the sauce and taste it to check the seasoning, then correct, if necessary. Mix the sauce with ...

I had to sub the type of eggplant, but the process was otherwise seamless. My local grocery store doesn't sell Japanese eggplant, which is typically narrower and slightly sweeter than American ...