Thanks Coni, if you're trying to go for the best flavor I'd recommend going with a blend of minced maitake and shiitake mushrooms. If you want to go for the most protein, you could use this: https://norecipes.com/vegan-ground-meat/ Or the compromise would be a blend of the two. As for baking, you could, but the only way to get it relatively tender and creamy would be to saturate the eggplant with oil before you bake it, at which point you may as well deep fry it.