Great as a snack on its own or an interesting replacement for fries. In testing the recipe, we marinated the eggplant first, but enjoyed it just as much simply dusted in flour and fried.
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 cups frying oil
- 1 lemon, cut in half and charred (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons miso paste
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
About this recipe
In a small bowl, mix together all marinade ingredients. Reserve.
Remove the stem end, then peel the eggplant. Cut the eggplant into 3/4-inch slices. Cut each slice into 3/4-inch wide french-frie like strips. Place these strips into a mixing bowl and toss with a good pinch of salt. Transfer the eggplant into a colander and let drain for 2-3 hours (once the eggplant starts to soften, you can even give them a little squeeze to release some of the water).
Place the eggplant onto a kitchen towel or paper towels and pat dry to remove the salty water. Drain the mixing bowl and return the eggplant to the bowl. Add the marinade and toss well. Leave the eggplant in the marinade, tossing occasionally, until the eggplant has absorbed all or as much of the marinade as it can.
In a medium pot, heat the frying oil to 300F.
In another mixing bowl, stir together the rice flour and the cornstarch. In small batches, add the marinated eggplant to the rice flour-corn starch mixture. Toss and coat well. Drop each piece of eggplant as they are coated into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown.
Once fried, remove the pieces and place onto paper towel and immediately sprinkle with a liberal amount of salt and pepper.
Serve immediately with any leftover marinade, charred lemon and cilantro mayo.
