Eggplants are sliced into spiral shapes and fry until super crispy. We also going to pair them with a delicious sweet and sour sauce. It’s tasty, crispy, and simply fabulous! Let’s get started with Crispy Spiral Eggplants!
Recipe
Serving：2 to 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
For the eggplants:
2 large Chinese eggplants
1/10 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 cups oil, for frying
For the sweet and sour sauce:
1 cup water
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
To prepare the eggplants:
- Peel each eggplant, slice off the ends, and cut it in halves crosswise.
- Place each piece of eggplant between a pair of chopsticks, and thinly slice it from one end to another. Flip. At an angel, slice it again from one end to another. Do the same with all of them.
- Season the eggplants with salt and rest for 5 minutes. (Salt also helps the eggplants to release moisture, so the eggplants will be crispy and not soggy while frying.)
- Use paper towels to absorb the moisture on the eggplants.
- Piece each piece of eggplant on a skewer. Do the same with the rest.
To fry the eggplants:
- On a plate, add the cornstarch. Dip the eggplants in it. Dust off the excess.
- In a pot over high heat, pour in the oil. Heat it up to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Carefully place in the eggplants and fry until crispy about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
To make the sweet and sour sauce:
- In a pot over medium heat, pour in the water, ketchup, rice vinegar, and sugar. Whisk and bring it to a simmer. Pour in the cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water). Stir until it’s thickened. Serve it on the side or drizzle it over the eggplants. Enjoy!
Did you know?
My mom taught me a Chinese idiom when I was a little kid, and I’ve always kept it in my heart: “只要功夫深，鐵杵磨成針”。It means if you work hard enough, you can grind an iron rod into a needle. When our cooking didn’t turn out so well. It’s ok. Let’s practice it a few more times, it will eventually become a top chef quality. I believe in it. Enjoy!
