-
1
You will also need:
-
2
1.
-
3
A large mixing bowl.
-
4
2.
-
5
A cotton dish towel.
-
6
3.
-
7
Two cooling racks each placed over a rimmed baking pan.
-
8
These are a useful place to arrange the fries before frying and to drain them afterwards.
-
9
4.
-
10
A heavy-bottomed pot or a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet for deep-frying the eggplant.
-
11
5.
-
12
A candy/deep fry thermometer is useful for judging the oils temperature and adjusting it as the eggplant slices fry.
-
13
1.
-
14
Fill a mixing bowl with salted water.
-
15
Peel the eggplants and cut them into large french fries that are about 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick.
-
16
Another way of describing the cut and size is: cut the eggplant as you would potatoes for making steak fries.
-
17
2.
-
18
Put the slices into the bowl and soak them for 30 minutes in the salted water.
-
19
3.
-
20
Drain the eggplant slices, spread them out in a cotton dish towel, and pat them dry.
-
21
Mix the egg and milk in the mixing bowl and season with salt and several grinds of white pepper.
-
22
Place the pan of flour close at hand.
-
23
4.
-
24
Dip the eggplant slices in the egg and milk batter, roll them in the flour and place the battered fries on one of the cooling racks set in a rimmed baking pan.
-
25
5.
-
26
Heat the oil in the frying pot or deep skillet to around 375 F. Once the oil is hot, add the eggplant slices into the oil.
-
27
Fry the eggplant slices a few at a time, adjusting the heat to keep the oil at a temperature between 350 and 375 F. A batch of 4 will be done in 3-4 minutes.
-
28
Remove the cooked fries from the oil and place the fries to drain on the second cooling rack placed in a rimmed pan.
-
29
Sprinkle them with a few grinds of salt and white pepper and serve them hot.
-
30
Repeat with the remaining fries.
-
31
Suggested sauces for accompanying the french fried eggplant: A recipe for Sauce Remoulade Cajun Style is given in the Related Link.
-
32
It is more highly seasoned than a traditional remoulade and contains no eggs or mayonnaise.
-
33
A simple sauce made by mixing prepared horseradish to taste in some ketchup is another very good alternative.
-
34
An acknowledgement: French Fried Eggplant The Picayune is adapted from a recipe in The Picayunes Creole Cook Book (4th edition, 1910), which is available to read free online, courtesy of Cornell Universitys collection in the Internet Archive.
