The greatest dish you never had! Eggplant Fries
What!
This dry fried eggplant dish is the signature dish of Chef Peter Chang who is considered by many to be the greatest Chinese Chef in America. This dish is so good that you may see it on every table in his restaurant
Chef Chang was an enigma , constantly disappearing and popping up hundreds of miles away.
Where is Peter Chang. The foodie blogs would be full of chatter and drivel about where he was and what happened.
Then a true spotting of this dish or the Chef himself would hit the internet and the foodies piled into their cars and drove hours if not days to eat Chef Chang’s food.
Then “POOF” !!! He was gone!.
Chef Chang has settled down now. But why was he running? Video of Chef Chang๐๐
The Legend Behind The Dry Fried Eggplant
Chef Chang came to the United States in 2001 to cook at the Chinese Embassy in D.C.. A couple days before he was to head back to China he disappeared.
So maybe he was hiding from the U.S. government (no green card) or more likely the Chinese government.
Chef Chang would settle into a restaurant but his great cooking would always get him found. He even went by aliases like Mr. Liu.
His food was so good that hardcore followers knew it was him and once the word was out he was gone. Fairfax Virginia, Richmond Virginia, Atlanta, Knoxville, Charlottesville.
His food was so good he couldn’t hide. Read more here.
My First Experience
We accidently stumbled into Chef Chang’s first restaurant “China Star” right after he became the chef in 2004. It was in a strip mall that also had our favorite movie theatre that played Indy films and still popped it’s own popcorn in coconut oil.
We were very picky eaters, especially with Asian cuisine. My wife is from Saigon and traveled Asia and I was an up and coming chef in Washington D.C. The menu (real Chinese) was quite different and after our fist bite of the cumin lamb we knew the place was special.
The Dish
The dish is called “dry fried eggplant”. Dry frying is a popular Chinese technique. The dish is actually deep fries first and in my recipe double deep fries, then dry fried in a hot wok or pan with the spices and herbs.
There are very few recipes for this dish on the internet. The Wash Po recipe misses a step and the WordPress “Recipes by Missy” is very good but she also admits she missed a step.
The dish is quite simple and comes together in minutes and is best served right away although I ate some leftovers an hour later and it was still good.
What You Need
- Chinese Eggplant (any eggplant is ok but Chinese and Japanese have less seeds
- corn starch (NOT CORN FLOUR!)
- hot Chinese chili powder or cayenne
- Korean chili powder or paprika (preferably hot)
- powdered chicken bouillon or vegetable bouillon or more salt (vegan eaters you would be surprised how often chicken bouillon is used, mostly in Mexican salsas)
- salt
- green onion minced
- cilantro chopped fine
- garlic minced
- chili oil
My Additions (all optional but recommended)
- minced ginger’
- dried chilies
- crushed Sichuan Peppercorns
- jalapeno slices
- double fried
Steps and Tips
Check out the recipe for quantities
- peel and cut eggplant into large French fry type pieces, put them in water
- put cornstarch on a tray to roll the eggplant fries in it
- heat oil to 350
- mix the rests of the ingredient except the jalapenos then split the mixture in half
The Finish
- fry in small batches until lightly browned
- heat up a wok or large skillet
- when the last batch is light brown throw the previously fried eggplant back in and fry until golden (Double fry)
- immediately drain and toss in the heated pan with half the spice mix
- toss in pan for 30 seconds then toss in second half of spices and enjoy!
The Take
This is the greatest recipe you never heard of!!! You will surprise your guests or family. The flavor is unique and addicting.
Those little crumbs of spices and herbs are awesome so make sure you scoop them up with the eggplant or your fingers. You can also toss fries in the spice mix.
You Wanna Try These
Awesome Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant
Sichuan Dry Fried Eggplant
This is one of the greatest dishes you never had. There are very few recipes on the internet and I like this one the best.
- 2 whole Chinese or Japanese Eggplant (can use any eggplant but Chinese is the best because there are less seeds)
- 1 whole jalapeno slices
- 2 green onion minced
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger finely minced
- 2 clove garlic finely minced
- 1/4 tsp chili oil (can use regular oil but chili adds an extra layer)
- 1/3 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp paprika or Korean Chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp powdered chicken bouillon vegetable bouillon or salt
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- oil for deep frying
Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch by 4 inch pieces like French fries
Slice the jalapenos into 1/16 inch slices
combine the next 10 ingredients, everything but the eggplant, jalapenos, cornstarch and oil.
split the mixture in half
heat oil to 350 degrees
lightly wet the eggplant and jalapenos and roll in corn starch
fry in batches until lightly golden and drain each batch on a wire rack. We are gonna double fry so this step isn't that fussy but make sure your oil stays above 300.
once the last batch is done throw the previous fried eggplant back in the oil and fry until golden If your pan is small do it in batches again.
heat a second pan or wok until very hot.
throw the golden fried eggplant in the heated pan/wok with one half of the spice/herb mix and toss until well combined
dump the second spice mixture in and shake to coat. Serve it up and eat quick.