Crispy Outside, Tender Inside! Delicious Fried Eggplant Recipe (Baek Jong-won Style)
Summer Vegetable Delight: Baek Jong-won’s Fried Eggplant
Eggplant, a star summer vegetable, offers endless culinary possibilities! Today, we’re transforming it into a delightful deep-fried dish with a perfect crispy exterior and tender, flavorful interior, inspired by Baek Jong-won’s popular recipe. It’s a wonderful side dish that everyone will love!
Main Ingredients- 1 cup minced pork
- 1 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped chives
- 2 eggplants
- 1/4 cup flour (for filling)
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- Pinch of coarse sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 5 cups cooking oil (for frying)
Batter- 1 and 1/3 cups flour
- 1 cup water
Savory Soy Dipping Sauce- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 and 1/3 cups flour
- 1 cup water
Savory Soy Dipping Sauce- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Creating the Perfect Shape: Secure each eggplant between two wooden chopsticks. Make diagonal cuts about 1cm thick, ensuring the eggplant doesn’t fully separate. This technique helps the filling penetrate and the batter adhere evenly.
Step 2
Carefully slice the eggplant so that each cut section remains attached as two ‘leaves’. This creates a beautiful, bite-sized shape once fried.
Step 3
Prepare the Filling Ingredients: Finely chop the chives to about 0.4cm thickness and the green onions to about 0.3cm thickness. This ensures the filling distributes well without clumping.
Step 4
Make the Savory Filling: In a large bowl, combine the minced pork, chopped chives, chopped green onions, minced ginger, 1/4 cup flour, coarse sea salt, sesame oil, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Kneading the mixture will help it bind together.
Step 5
Stuff the Eggplant: Gently open the sliced eggplants and generously fill them with the prepared pork mixture. Aim for a filling thickness of about a finger’s width for a satisfying bite.
Step 6
Prepare the Crispy Batter: In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 and 1/3 cups of flour and 1 cup of water until smooth and lump-free. Avoid overmixing to achieve a crispier texture.
Step 7
First Fry: Heat about 5 cups of cooking oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot enough (test with a drop of batter; it should sizzle immediately), coat the stuffed eggplants evenly with the batter and carefully lower them into the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan, as this can lower the oil temperature.
Step 8
Fry Until Golden Brown: Using chopsticks or tongs, gently turn the eggplant pieces to ensure they fry evenly on all sides. Continue frying until the exterior is crispy and a beautiful golden-brown color.
Step 9
Serve and Enjoy: The frying process should take approximately 8 minutes. Once golden brown, remove the fried eggplant from the oil and drain excess grease on a wire rack. Arrange on a serving plate. For an extra burst of flavor, serve with the simple dipping sauce made from 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes.
