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Tempura-Fried Eggplant Fried vegetables are always welcome at our table. Zucchini flowers make a perfect first course in summer, and my family considers fried eggplant, soup, salad, and cheese to be a fine dinner. Here we dip eggplant into a tempura-style batter made of flour, egg yolk, and ice-cold water. We are fond of this tempura batter and use it to fry all sorts of vegetables. We often shred a mixture of vegetables—carrots, zucchini, parsley, broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, and the like—stir them into the tempura batter, then fry them in large spoonfuls in oil, like the shredded apples in beer batter on page 141. (The apple fritter batters can be used for the eggplants, too. In fact, all the batters are interchangeable, though they each have a distinct taste and texture.) Instructions for a second method of frying eggplant—this one without batter—follow on below. 4 to 6 very thin eggplants (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) or 2 to 3 larger eggplants split in half lengthwise (about 2 pounds) 1 1/3 cups flour 2 egg yolks 1 1/3 cups ice-cold water Oil for deep frying Slice the eggplants into 1/4-inch slices, leaving the slices attached at one end. Small eggplant can be sliced whole; large eggplant should be cut in half. Press down on the eggplant to fan out the slices. This fan shape looks beautiful on the plate, but it also exposes the maximum surface area to the oil. Consequently, it doesn't take very long to cook. There's no need to salt batterfried eggplant, as the batter assures you a crisp crust. Place flour, egg yolks, and half the water in a bowl and work with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the rest of the water. This batter produces a very crisp, thin coating. The batter can be made with a whole egg rather than the egg yolks but either way make sure the water is ice cold. If it's not cold it never seems to get as crisp as it could. Heat approximately 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet until very hot. Dip the eggplant fans in the batter. The batter is quite runny and not too much will adhere to the eggplant. Place each piece flat in the hot oil and cook on medium to high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on one side. Turn and cook another 3 minutes. The fans should be nice and brown and cooked through. If your skillet is not large enough to accommodate several eggplants, make them in batches or use several skillets. When done, remove to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt. Flour-dredged fried eggplant Cur the eggplant into slices about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick (approximately 10 slices) and sprinkle them with salt on both sides. Arrange the slices on a cookie sheet with another cookie sheet on top and add a weight (such as a food processor or a mixer) to press down on the eggplant. Let the slices drain for 30 minutes. The salting and pressing cure the eggplant, remove some of the bitterness, and prevent the slices from absorbing too much fat during cooking. Drain the slices and dry with paper towels, then dip into flour. Pat the slices gently so that not too much flour stays on them. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a skillet and place the slices in the hot oil. Cook approximately 2 minutes on each side. No | salt is added to the slices at the end because of the curing. One large eggplant should serve 3. 4 TO 6 SERVINGS Return to Top | Back to Recipes |
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