Eggplant fry is a dish that can include eggplant as the main ingredient, often paired with mushrooms and tofu for vegetarians or chicken and shrimp for meat eaters. Choosing the right eggplant is important, with Chinese eggplants being a popular choice. Other vegetables and sauces can be added for flavor.
An eggplant fry is any fry that includes eggplant as one of the main ingredients. The eggplant can take the place of the meat in the dish or it can simply be an additional flavour. Many cooks like to add heavy spice to stir-fried eggplants because the vegetable typically absorbs other flavors easily. Vegetarian versions of eggplant stir-fry often include mushrooms and tofu because the vegetable itself doesn’t contain much protein. Meat eaters usually add a mild protein, such as chicken or shrimp, to stir-fry eggplant so the meat doesn’t overpower the vegetables and other flavors.
One of the first steps to frying eggplant usually involves choosing the eggplant itself. Many cooks prefer to stay traditional and use Chinese eggplants for this dish. Chinese eggplant is usually dark purple, but is long and thin instead of bulbous. It’s also usually firmer than other eggplant varieties, making it a good pairing for crunchy greens. Bulbous purple or white eggplant usually becomes soft quickly, making it a good choice to pair with tofu. Heirloom eggplant, which is striped, usually has a very rich, musky flavor that many people enjoy with mushrooms or pork.
When shopping for or harvesting ingredients for eggplant fritters, it’s generally important to choose the freshest vegetables available. The eggplants should be firm, rich in color and free from soft spots or bruises. Firm but ripe eggplants usually taste good and shouldn’t get soft and mushy as soon as they’re heated. Cooks can dice them, dice them, or julienne them. When cooked, the cubes usually stay firmer than the small diced pieces or strips, but the texture is largely up to the cook.
After choosing the eggplant, cooks should typically decide what else they want to include in this recipe. Grated carrots, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, onions and garlic can all be used. Chives, bell peppers, radishes, baby corn, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts are also options, though they’re not as popular as the first group of vegetables. Typically, the additional ingredients should be chopped or julienned just like eggplant to create an even texture in the pan.
Soy sauce, fish or oyster sauce, and chili sauce can be used to fry the eggplant. The cook can combine all four different sauces, use just one, or pair two for a dish with a wide variety of flavors. Typically, the sauce is added when the vegetables and meat begin to brown and soften. This usually ensures that the sauce doesn’t cook away before the dish is finished. Some cooks like to top a pan-fried eggplant with chopped fresh spinach, green onions, or parsley when it’s ready.
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