Crispy Eggplant Fritters with Perilla Leaves
Delicious Eggplant Fritters with Perilla Leaves: Baek Jong Won’s Recipe
These are fried eggplant stuffed with a savory ground pork filling. Eggplant is such a versatile ingredient, perfect for stir-fries, steamed dishes, or delicious fried treats like this. Eggplant pairs wonderfully with oil, making it ideal for frying. Shall we make them together?
Ingredients- 5 eggplants
- 300g ground pork
- 4 perilla leaves
- 1/2 stalk green onion
- 1 slice ginger
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup tempura flour (paper cup)
- 2/3 cup water (paper cup)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Prepare all the ingredients for the eggplant fritters. Wash the eggplants thoroughly and pat them dry. Rinse the perilla leaves, green onion, and ginger as well.
Step 2
Finely mince the green onion (mostly the white part), perilla leaves, and ginger using a food processor or blender. If you don’t have one, you can finely chop them with a knife. The fragrant perilla leaves will add a wonderful depth of flavor to the pork filling.
Step 3
In a bowl, combine the ground pork with the minced green onion, perilla leaves, and ginger. Add the minced garlic, salt, black pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Mix everything together to create the filling. Let it marinate for about 10 minutes for the flavors to meld beautifully.
Step 4
Knead the seasoned pork filling with your hands until it becomes sticky and elastic. This helps the filling hold its shape during frying and ensures a well-packed interior.
Step 5
Wash the eggplants and remove the stems. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, then into thirds or fourths, creating pieces about 1.5 cm thick. Make a slit in the center of each piece without cutting all the way through, creating a pocket for the filling.
Step 6
Carefully stuff the seasoned pork filling into the slit of each eggplant piece. Press the filling firmly into the eggplant to prevent it from falling out during frying.
Step 7
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of tempura flour and 2/3 cup of water until smooth, forming a batter. The batter should be thick enough to coat the eggplant without dripping off too quickly. Tip: For extra flavor and color, you can add a pinch of curry powder or turmeric to the batter.
Step 8
Dip each stuffed eggplant piece into the tempura batter, ensuring it is evenly coated on all sides. This coating will become wonderfully crispy when fried.
Step 9
Heat a generous amount of cooking oil in a pan to about 170-180°C (338-356°F). To test if the oil is ready, drop a small amount of batter; it should sizzle and float to the surface immediately. Carefully place the battered eggplant pieces into the hot oil.
Step 10
Fry the eggplant pieces for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Turn them occasionally to ensure even cooking. The eggplant should be tender inside, and the coating should be crisp.
Step 11
Once fried to perfection, remove the eggplant fritters from the oil and place them on a wire rack or paper towels to drain any excess oil. Draining well while hot is key to a crispy, non-greasy finish.
Step 12
Voila! Your delicious eggplant fritters, fragrant with perilla leaves and filled with savory pork, are ready to be enjoyed. They boast a wonderfully crispy exterior and a tender, flavorful interior. Serve them immediately while warm, perhaps with your favorite dipping sauce like soy sauce or chili sauce!
