Greek Batter-Fried Eggplant Recipe

Name: Greek Batter-Fried Eggplant
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 medium eggplant, trimmed, unpeeled, and sliced into strips 1/8- to 1/16-inch thick; 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 8 ounces soda water; 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; Oil, for frying

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 7 mins

Total: 37 mins

Servings: 4 servings

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Eggplant is a common ingredient in Greek cuisine and is cooked in several different ways. In this recipe for batter-fried eggplant (in Greek: μελιτζάνες τηγανητές, pronounced meh-leed-ZAH-nes tee-ghah-nee-TES), slices of the vegetable are coated in a thick batter and then deep-fried until golden and crispy—ideal as a side dish, or an appetizer (or meze) with a cucumber yogurt sauce on the side for dipping.

Eggplant is notorious for absorbing as much olive oil as possible, so this recipe, which calls for quick frying in hot oil, is a good choice since the eggplant doesn't have enough time to get soggy. Use a cheese slicer, mandoline, or long-bladed knife to get uniformly thin slices. One of the ingredients is soda water, which helps to create a batter that puffs up when fried—the bubbles in the water create pockets of air that expand in heat, resulting in a light texture.

1 medium eggplant, trimmed and sliced into strips 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces soda water
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Oil, for frying

Gather the ingredients
Put eggplant slices in a bowl, cover with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and let sit 20 to 25 minutes. A liquid will accumulate at the bottom of the bowl—pour this off before dipping eggplant in batter.
To make batter, pour soda water into a bowl, and stir in flour and salt slowly, using a whisk or fork to mix.
Bring oil to high heat in a large pot. Coat eggplant in batter, and using a fork, place pieces in oil and fry 5 to 6 minutes, until golden on both sides and batter puffs up.
Drain on absorbent paper toweling just long enough to remove excess oil. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
230	Calories
15g	Fat
26g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	230
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g	19%
Saturated Fat 1g	5%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 797mg	35%
Total Carbohydrate 26g	10%
Dietary Fiber 7g	25%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 4mg	18%
Calcium 38mg	3%
Iron 1mg	4%
Potassium 352mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.