Growing up, one of my very favorite things for my mother to cook with dinner was fried eggplant. It wasn’t something we ate often, so I was always thrilled when I spotted a beautiful eggplant sitting in the fridge after a trip to the grocery store. To me, it’s the coolest looking produce in the market. The shape, the color, the size…love it.
It’s has lots to offer nutritionally, as well. Did you know:
- Eggplant is low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol?
- Eggplant is high in dietary fiber, folate, potassium, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus and copper?
It’s good for you. But I’m going to change that. Because I grew up country-fried and it’s what I do.
So…
Grab a skillet and put enough oil in it to cover the bottom. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Select a beautiful eggplant and lop of the ends like this:
Then cut it in half.
Slice it into 1/4″ slices.
Coat each slice in a flour, salt & pepper mixture.
Dip in milk. Or evaporated milk. Or buttermilk.
And dip in flour again.
When your oil is hot and ready to go, lay your slices in there. Cook each side until they reach a deep golden brown or whatever level of doneness that appeals to you.
Drain them on a plate covered with a paper towel.
And the special ingredient??
Sugar.
Lightly sprinkle them with sugar while they’re still hot. Trust me. It’s worth it.
The whole family loves them and while it may not be the healthiest way to serve eggplant, it’s a way to get them in kids’ tummies. Yummy comfort food.
I’m curious, though….how do you prepare eggplant?
Joyce says
January 28, 2010 at 10:39 amI love eggplant, too! I prepare mine a little differently. Along with the flour I use Italian seasoned bread crumbs and I don’t cut mine in half, just nice round slices. I also use egg wash (beaten egg with a little water) not milk. First dredge in flour, then dip in egg and press into bread crumbs…fry basically the same as yours. Add some marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, bake and you have Eggplant Parmesan! But it is really good as a side dish.
abbie says
January 28, 2010 at 1:29 pmSounds super yummy! I will have to try that, for sure.
Jessica says
January 28, 2010 at 11:28 amI either fry it. (I’ll be trying your reciped next time though!) or in the summer we grill it after it’s been brushed with olive oil.
abbie says
January 28, 2010 at 1:29 pmI bet it’s delicious grilled with olive oil! And maybe a sprinkle of kosher salt…yum!
Marilyn says
January 28, 2010 at 4:31 pmI pretend they are noodles and make ‘lasagna’.
Abbie says
January 28, 2010 at 4:51 pmWhat a great idea! I need to try that sometime.
Michelle says
January 28, 2010 at 5:06 pmI also brush with olive oil and grill…or sometimes throw under the broiler if I’m too lazy to light the grill.
Tamara says
January 29, 2010 at 10:42 amSo I’ve NEVER been an eggplant lover….but this looks scrumptious!! I’m going to try it this weekend. 🙂
Abbie says
January 29, 2010 at 11:47 amGreat! Let me know how you like it. 🙂
Holly says
April 3, 2010 at 9:58 amI will have to try that. When I make eggplant, I slice it fairly thin into rounds and sprkinle with salt on both sides. I leave it sit for about 15 minutes until the eggplant is sort of floppy and the juiices are running out of it. Then I rinse the slices with cold water to remove the salt. I pat them dry and drizzle with olive oil, some herbs such as basil and oregano, and maybe some garlic, and I pop them in the oven on 425 for about 20 minutes. You can do anything with them at this point. I often make them into stovetop eggplant parm by heating some spaghetti sauce in a saute pan, adding the egglplant, a little more sauce and a bit of mozzarella cheese. Let it cook just to get hot and melty and then serve. My niece who “hates eggplant” actually loves this concoction.
Leslea says
February 27, 2012 at 3:13 pmMy versionis similar to Joyce’s above but saves lots of calories by oven frying it . Prepare as she does, but be sure slices are thin and all slices are prepared prior to the next step…. To oven fry, I line a large rimmed cookie sheet with foil and add 1/3 C oil. Place in preheated 450 oven on uppermost rack for 5 mins or so so oil is VERY hot. Place eggplant on hot oil, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan. Spray all eggplant well with Pam. Bake til brown & crispy-maybe 15-20 mins. Spoon spaghetti sauce on each slice and top w/ shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake til cheese melts. Yummy!