Eggplant is one of those vegetables that I seldom use. I’m often not quite sure how to prepare it, and will pass over it when selecting vegetables to purchase. But I recently saw a really basic Fried Eggplant recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook and decided to give it a try. Slices of eggplant were breaded with bread crumbs, then fried. It turned out well. The Fried Eggplant slices were crispy and delicious.
Here’s the original recipe:
I dried the eggplant slices using paper towels. The recipe makes it sound like cloth towels would have been used a hundred years ago.
I breaded the eggplant slices with bread crumbs rather than dipping in flour. I made my own bread crumbs. Starting with 2 slices of bread, I used a blender to make fine bread crumbs. A food processor would also work, or purchased bread crumbs could be used.
The old recipe called for soaking the eggplant slices in salted water for several hours before cooking. I think that modern eggplants are less bitter than the eggplants of days gone by, so I’m not sure if soaking is needed, but I did it. I’ve seen other recipes that call for just sprinkling eggplant with salt, letting sit for awhile, and then drying with paper towels. That might be another option.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Fried Eggplant
1 medium eggplant
2 tablespoons salt
water
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup fine bread crumbs
fat (lard, shortening, etc.) or oil
Peel eggplant, then slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Put in a bowl and cover with water that contains the salt. Let sit for 2 – 4 hours, then drain, and dry the eggplant slices with paper towels.
Put the beaten egg in a shallow bowl, and put the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip each eggplant slice in the egg, and then roll in the breadcrumbs to coat.
Heat 1/4 inch of fat or oil in a large frying pan. Carefully place the breaded eggplant slices in the pan in a single layer. Depending upon pan size, the slices may need to be cooked in several batches. Fry for approximately 3-5 minutes or until the bottom side of each slice is lightly browned, then gently turn and fry until the other side is browned. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
If I had been at your table, I would have enjoyed tasting your eggplant. My mother used to prepare it in a similar way. Enough said. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
It’s nice to hear that this post brought back some good memories.
I love aubergine (as we Brits call them!) and am always on the look out for new recipes. This looks good. And I never soak mine btw, and they seem fine.
We’ve found another terminology difference across the two sides of the Atlantic – aubergine and eggplant. 🙂
😉
Some things never change! I was always told that the salt water was to draw out the extra moisture in the eggplant so that they’d be crispy instead of soggy. No one ever mentioned bitterness except if you left the peel on…
Salt works well to draw extra moisture out of vegetables.
I would think with that long a soak they would be bloated since they act like little sponges, but it sounds like it had the opposite action! This looks really tasty.
To use an analogy that may not work- It’s sort of like how a person gets all wrinkled after swimming in the ocean for several hours. The salt water drawns the water out.
I can see that!
I love fried eggplant! I used to make it fairly often, but haven’t in a long time. I do still make eggplant parmesan now and then. These look very tasty!
The fried eggplant was lovely. I should serve eggplant more often. I haven’t made eggplant parmesan in years.
I saw eggplant the other day and decided not to get it as I had no idea what to do with it. Now I do. Thanks!!!!
You’re welcome. I think that you will like this recipe.
I’ve never attempted to cook eggplant.
Yours look and sound delicious.
You should give eggplant a try. I think that you’d like Fried Eggplant.