Thai Eggplant Varieties: Identification and Cooking Uses
A reference guide to Thai eggplant: the main varieties and their Thai names, how to tell them apart, the scientific name question and how each type is used.
Contents
Thai eggplant is not one vegetable. It is a name for several eggplant varieties used in Thai cooking. The type most often meant is a small, round fruit that is green or green-and-white and about the size of a golf ball. One beginner's guide calls this round green type the variety most commonly found in markets. Other Thai types are purple, yellow, white, long and thin, or tiny like a pea. In the kitchen, Thai eggplants are closely tied to curries, and some varieties are also used in spicy relishes and grilled salads.
The main Thai eggplant varieties and their names
Thai names for these eggplants share the root makua, which is also spelled makhuea in English. A second word then describes the type. Romanized spellings vary between sources, so makua prao, for example, may also appear as makhuea pro. The table below lists the types named in the available sources. Where a source gave no Thai name, appearance or use, the cell says so.
| Type | Thai descriptor | How it looks | Use noted in sources |
| Round green | makua prao | Small, round, green or green-white, about golf-ball size | Curries; described as the most common type in Thai cooking |
| Small purple | makua muag lek | Small and purple | Curries |
| Yellow | makua luang | Yellow | No specific use given |
| Round white | Not given | Round; texture described as similar to other round types | No specific use given |
| Long green | makua yao | Long, thin, elongated and cylindrical | Grilled spicy salad |
| Pea eggplant | Not given | Very small, as the name suggests | Spicy relishes |
| Apple eggplant | Not given | Not described | Curries |
How to recognize Thai eggplant
Size and shape are the quickest clues. Most Thai types are small, and the best-known ones are round rather than long or teardrop-shaped. Color helps narrow things further: green and green-white are the most typical colors, while purple, yellow and white types also exist. Not every Thai eggplant is round, though. Some are elongated and cylindrical, like the long green makua yao.
- Small and round, green or green-and-white, about golf-ball size: most likely round green Thai eggplant (makua prao).
- Small and purple: likely the small purple type (makua muag lek).
- Yellow: the yellow type (makua luang).
- Long, thin and green: the long green type (makua yao).
- Tiny and pea-sized: pea eggplant, used in spicy relishes.
The labels themselves can also cause confusion. Some sources use "Thai eggplant" for the whole group of varieties. Others, including at least one general guide to eggplant types, use it for the tiny, round, greenish-white type only. Some English-language sources say "Thai aubergine" instead of "Thai eggplant." When a recipe or shop label just says "Thai eggplant," the round green type is the most likely meaning, but the label alone does not prove it.
Scientific name
One grower source gives the scientific name as Solanum virginianum or Solanum melongena, depending on the variety. That source does not say which variety belongs to which species. None of the sources gathered here gives a species for pea eggplant. Treat these names as unconfirmed and check a botanical reference before using them in labeling, research or garden planning.
Cooking uses
A Thai cooking reference calls Thai eggplants essential ingredients in Thai curry dishes. Uses also differ by variety: tiny purple and apple eggplants go into curries, pea eggplant into spicy relishes, and long green eggplant into a grilled spicy salad. The sources gathered here do not include a complete or traditional recipe. They also do not cover preparation steps such as cutting or cooking times, so this guide does not give any.
Thai eggplant vs. regular eggplant, and substitutes
The sources describe Thai eggplants as small and mostly round, but they do not compare them with the larger eggplants sold in most US supermarkets. They also do not test any substitutes. One guide to eggplant varieties notes that the round greenish-white Thai type can be hard to find. The only swap the sources support is between round Thai types: if round green is unavailable, round white and purple Thai eggplants are described as having a similar texture. Any other substitute is untested by these sources.
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