Crispy Fried Eggplant Fans

If you've never tried aubergine, let me introduce you to Crispy Fried Eggplant Fans. Growing up, I couldn't stand eggplant. You see, every year on the eve of Yom Kippur, my mom would lovingly prepare her family's traditional recipe for candied eggplant. And every year, my brothers and I would make any excuse not eat it. And every year, we lost.

Maybe it was an acquired taste. Or maybe as teens, our palates weren't sophisticated enough. But it wasn't until my maternal grandmother stayed with us for the holidays one year that she saw my mom making her family recipe. In her native French, she quizzically asked my mom, "Pourquoi mets-tu du sel (Why are you adding salt)?"

Somehow the generational recipe had been transposed as it was passed down. But once the error was corrected and the salt removed, the eggplant was transformed back to its original sweet and candied state. Disclaimer: my mom is still a great cook.

However, the damage was done. To this day, I still hesitate before eating it. Which brings me to today's recipe of Crispy Fried Eggplant Fans. After all, how can you go wrong with anything that's battered and deep fried? So if you've never had eggplant, this is your recipe. If you already love eggplant, this recipe is going to notch-up your taste buds.

Though no one is sure where eggplant comes from, most experts agree it probably originated in India. I happened to run across this recipe while looking for an Indian recipe, Bengali to be exact. However, I've seen eggplant prepared similarly in Thai dishes, Mediterranean dishes (think Eggplant Parmigiana) and the Middle East. So, my conclusion is that many cultures have their own version. What I loved most about this recipe was the way it was cut into a fan-shape. And they use curry in the batter. But that's optional.

Making Crispy Fried Eggplant Fans

Making this recipe is actually a breeze. Just get everything laid out ahead of time. That means a cutting board and 3 bowls to create a Batter Station. Prep time ranges from 30-60 minutes. Most of the time is spent letting the eggplant rest while the salt absorbs the liquid and bitterness.

You can use a potato peeler to peel both eggplants. I opt to keep the skins on, though you can get a crunchier result removing the purple skin. Slice each eggplant in half, lengthwise. Then, moving down about an inch from the stem, slice each half (lengthwise again) in 1" strips. Each half should resemble a mop or "fan."

Place the halves in a bowl and sprinkle them generously with salt. Rub it around and in between so that the salt absorbs the water. It's best to wait about an hour, but you can shorten than to 30 minutes if you're in a rush. After an hour, remove each half and dry them off with paper towels. Squeeze them gently as you dry them to remove residual liquid.

Once dried, dust them with white flour in bowl #1. You can also use corn starch. The goal is to absorb any remaining liquid so that the batter sticks to the eggplant when frying. In bowl #2, create your batter. The Bengali recipe only used curry. However, you can use Old Bay seasoning, cayenne and paprika, Ras el Hanout, or your favorite Indian spice blend. It's entirely up to you.

They key to the batter is making it thin. It should resemble a tempura batter - more runny than thick. The goal is just to have a light but thorough coating. Indians use gram or chickpea flour - both light. I didn't have that available to I used bread flour. I wouldn't be afraid to use cornstarch either. Take the dusted eggplant halves and dunk them in the batter. Make sure to the batter gets into every crevice. Then lift it out of the batter and give it a few seconds to let the excess batter drip off. Carefully spread the fan before dredging it in the breadcrumbs.

The final bowl, #3, is for the breading. You want to use breadcrumbs. Whether they're homemade or Italian breading, that doesn't matter. Use whatever bread you have available and grind it with the food processor. What is important is to NOT use Panko. Typically, I love Panko, but in this recipe, panko will leave you with a soggy batter. Dredge your batter dipped eggplant halves into the breadcrumbs. Again, make sure you cover everything with the breadcrumbs. Now, we're ready to cook.

Place a deep saucepan (or Wok) on medium heat. Add about 2" of canola oil. It needs to be deep enough to cover at least half of the eggplant fan. Once the oil is heated, carefully lower the eggplant into the oil. If you left the skin on, make sure the skin is up. Let it fry for about 10 minutes. Carefully, turn it to fry the other half for 5 more minutes or until golden brown.

Remove the fried eggplant halves and place them on a cooling rack or brown paper to absorb the excess oil. Serve them warm.

Optional: Make a dipping sauce for them. I made a lemon tahini dip, a blooming onion sauce, and an arbol chili salsa. However, you can use ranch dressing, ketchup, Mexican salsa or pour some tomato sauce and sprinkle shredded mozzarella on it. Whichever way you choose, I can assure you it will be much better than eating salt-infused candied eggplant.

Crispy Fried Eggplant Fans

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5 from 2 votes

Prep time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

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DESCRIPTION

This is probably one of the most delicious ways to eat eggplant. It's crispy exterior is in perfect contrast to the buttery soft interior. Drizzle it with a yogurt sauce, hot sauce, or tomato sauce and mozzarella for different varieties.

INGREDIENTS

 

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• ▢ 2 Eggplants
• ▢ ¾ cup Gram flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¾ cup water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Curry powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ white flour (for dusting)
• ▢ breadcrumbs
• ▢ oil for deep frying

INSTRUCTIONS

 

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• Prepping the Eggplants
• Halve the eggplants lengthwise.
  
• Trim the stem. Then about 1" below the stem, slice the eggplant halves lengthwise to create a fan shape.
  
• Put the eggplant fans in a bowl and sprinkle them thoroughly with salt and let them rest for up to an hour. This removes the excess liquid and bitterness.
  
• Remove the eggplant fans and gently squeeze them while wiping them dry with a paper towel. You want a dry exterior so the batter will adhere to it.
  
• The Batter Station
• You will need 3 bowls.
• In the first bowl, add the white flour for dusting.
  
• In the second bowl, add the Gram flour and slowly pour water into it a little at a time while mixing it. This creates a smooth and thin batter, similar to a tempura batter. You don't want a thick batter. Once you've added enough water and the batter seems thin, add the baking powder, curry and salt and mix them well.
  
• In a 3rd bowl, add the breadcrumbs.
  
• Take each eggplant fan and dust them thoroughly with the white flour in the first bowl. This ensures that the eggplant will remain dry and keep the batter crispy.
• Then, dredge the eggplant fan in the batter in the second bowl. Let the excess drip off.
  
• Finally, dredge the eggplant fan in the third bowl of breadcrumbs, coating it thoroughly.
  
• Add about 2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan. Bring it to medium heat.
• Carefully fan out the eggplant as you lower it into the saucepan.
  
• Cook on each side until golden brown, around 10 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second side.
  
• Remove from heat onto a cooling rack or a plate with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
• Serve warm as a side or spice it up with a yogurt sauce, hot sauce or tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

NUTRITION

Calories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 4gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.1gSodium: 209mgPotassium: 359mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 32IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg

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