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Brenda Gantt's Fried Eggplant
Posted on 4/1/24 at 1:32 pm
Posted on 4/1/24 at 1:32 pm
We talked a bit about this in another thread. I followed her method and fried eggplant again and it was so good~crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. Not greasy at all. I had some left and ate them cold out of the fridge. They were still just as crispy and creamy. Her method is so much better than frying them sliced in a skillet.
Cut the eggplant in chunks and toss them in just enough buttermilk to coat them. Then, salt and pepper them. Toss them in just enough self-rising cornmeal mix with some all purpose or self rising flour-about 3/4 cup of cornmeal and 1/4 flour-loose measurements and it depends on how much eggplant you're frying. You want the eggplant to be covered in the cornmeal mixture and not be wet. Deep fat fry them until they are crispy and golden.
She uses the same method for frying other vegetables like green tomatoes and squash. She also uses the buttermilk coating method for fried chicken and other meats.
Here's a YouTube video of the eggplant. You can FF through some of it to get to the points.
LINK
Cut the eggplant in chunks and toss them in just enough buttermilk to coat them. Then, salt and pepper them. Toss them in just enough self-rising cornmeal mix with some all purpose or self rising flour-about 3/4 cup of cornmeal and 1/4 flour-loose measurements and it depends on how much eggplant you're frying. You want the eggplant to be covered in the cornmeal mixture and not be wet. Deep fat fry them until they are crispy and golden.
She uses the same method for frying other vegetables like green tomatoes and squash. She also uses the buttermilk coating method for fried chicken and other meats.
Here's a YouTube video of the eggplant. You can FF through some of it to get to the points.
LINK
9
Posted on 4/1/24 at 3:25 pm to Gris Gris
wow that looks great
love her
love her
Posted on 4/1/24 at 3:42 pm to cgrand
The fact that they stay crunchy is even better. You can make a big batch and they will be crunchy and delicious even at room temp. Lovely morsels of goodness!
Posted on 4/1/24 at 3:47 pm to Gris Gris
just looked for her book and it’s out of print.
do you have it?
do you have it?
Posted on 4/1/24 at 4:25 pm to cgrand
quote:
just looked for her book and it’s out of print
My MIL discovered her early on even before her cookbooks came out so we have both and pre-ordered the 3rd one. I searched after your post and was surprised they weren't available. I see some on Amazon for $160. I wonder if she will do more reprints of the first two or focus sales on the new book.
She's done quite well considering she started with Facebook live during the COVID lockdown to teach her church friends how to make biscuits.
Posted on 4/1/24 at 5:21 pm to cgrand
quote:
ust looked for her book and it’s out of print.
do you have it?
I do not. I believe they've all been pre-orders and she doesn't order many extras from what I've seen on her videos. I just follow the videos that I like. Most of her food is fairly simple and easy to copy.
Posted on 4/1/24 at 5:57 pm to Gris Gris
that's how my mawmaw does them.
Posted on 4/1/24 at 6:18 pm to gaetti15
I'm pretty familiar with the area and have some good friends down there. I met Brenda once where we were out with them. Seemed like a real sweet lady, just like her videos.
Posted on 4/1/24 at 9:53 pm to Gris Gris
If somebody doesn’t like fried eggplant, there is just something wrong with them.
Posted on 4/1/24 at 9:56 pm to Gris Gris
Grew up with my mother frying eggplant with a similar technique. She cut it like thick French fries.
Posted on 4/2/24 at 10:05 am to Twenty 49
quote:
Grew up with my mother frying eggplant with a similar technique. She cut it like thick French fries.
That sounds good. Might try the fries next and see how they hold up. I love fried eggplant. The crunchy outside and the creamy inside are great textures together.
Posted on 4/3/24 at 2:01 am to Gris Gris
Was anyone else scared she was about to slice her hand open during that video?
Posted on 4/3/24 at 7:28 am to indytiger
quote:
Was anyone else scared she was about to slice her hand open during that video?
Ha, yeah. I'm always thinking that she's gonna get too busy telling a story and will end up cutting or burning herself.
Posted on 4/3/24 at 10:47 am to indytiger
quote:
Was anyone else scared she was about to slice her hand open during that video?
Every time I see a video of her using that big long knife the way she does, I worry about that. Apparently, people comment on it because she's mentioned a few times that she's not going to cut herself.
Posted on 4/6/24 at 8:00 pm to Gris Gris
I've been thinking about fried eggplant all week since this post.
It's one of my favorite fried things. When my mom would make them (thin round corn meal coated slices fried shallow in a cast iron pan), I could eat them as fast as she could make them. Still love them like that.
Brenda's method made the best crunchy coating I've ever cooked for vegetables plus you get the creamy inside from a larger eggplant nugget that you don't get with the thin slice. Almost like a fried oyster.
Also, I've never used self rising corn meal mix (like you use for making cornbread) as the main dry breading for frying.
What's interesting is the ingredients are pretty much identical to what I always use - seasoning, buttermilk or combo wet step, and breading.
She flips the step compared to what I've always done though. I usually soak, dip or marinate in the wet mix and then bread. She just moistens the pieces with the wet stuff, seasons the pieces, and then adds dry breading to a bowl until the food is "dry" as she calls it.
Sometimes I have a problem with the breading slipping off. Not always but sometimes.
I'm thinking maybe the wetter food is when it's breaded the more likely the crust is to slip off.
With her method the food is dryer to start with so the breading adheres better??
Maybe everyone knows this and I'm a late adopter.
Or maybe this batch was a fluke.
Anyhoo, that was one of the best fried food bites I've ever cooked.
She cooks fried chicken using the same steps. Want to try it that way too now.
Postimages seems to be down right now so can't post pics but will update.
Edit: breaded and ready to fry. With some catfish.
Hot out of the fryer
It's one of my favorite fried things. When my mom would make them (thin round corn meal coated slices fried shallow in a cast iron pan), I could eat them as fast as she could make them. Still love them like that.
Brenda's method made the best crunchy coating I've ever cooked for vegetables plus you get the creamy inside from a larger eggplant nugget that you don't get with the thin slice. Almost like a fried oyster.
Also, I've never used self rising corn meal mix (like you use for making cornbread) as the main dry breading for frying.
What's interesting is the ingredients are pretty much identical to what I always use - seasoning, buttermilk or combo wet step, and breading.
She flips the step compared to what I've always done though. I usually soak, dip or marinate in the wet mix and then bread. She just moistens the pieces with the wet stuff, seasons the pieces, and then adds dry breading to a bowl until the food is "dry" as she calls it.
Sometimes I have a problem with the breading slipping off. Not always but sometimes.
I'm thinking maybe the wetter food is when it's breaded the more likely the crust is to slip off.
With her method the food is dryer to start with so the breading adheres better??
Maybe everyone knows this and I'm a late adopter.
Or maybe this batch was a fluke.
Anyhoo, that was one of the best fried food bites I've ever cooked.
She cooks fried chicken using the same steps. Want to try it that way too now.
Postimages seems to be down right now so can't post pics but will update.
Edit: breaded and ready to fry. With some catfish.
Hot out of the fryer
This post was edited on 4/7/24 at 9:20 am
Posted on 4/6/24 at 8:16 pm to Professor Dawghair
Great update; this is what makes this board so good.
Posted on 4/6/24 at 10:31 pm to Professor Dawghair
Thank you for your detailed report with pics!
Posted on 4/7/24 at 11:03 am to Professor Dawghair
quote:
Brenda's method made the best crunchy coating I've ever cooked for vegetables plus you get the creamy inside from a larger eggplant nugget that you don't get with the thin slice. Almost like a fried oyster.
This is what's so good. There's a crunch you can hear and then you have the texture of the inside of the piece of eggplant that's so delicious and creamy. They aren't greasy at all or floppy like the discs can sometimes be. The crunch holds up.
I want to do the fried green tomatoes and squash as well. I think she uses this method for just about anything she fries like pork chops, cube steak etc.. either with the cornmeal or flour, depending on what's she's making.
Posted on 4/7/24 at 11:15 am to Gris Gris
quote:
I think she uses this method for just about anything she fries like pork chops, cube steak etc.. either with the cornmeal or flour, depending on what's she's making.
I want to try fried chicken that way. Sometimes I nail fried chicken and sometimes I don't. And I've tried just about every method and combo there is.
Posted on 4/7/24 at 11:29 am to Professor Dawghair
quote:
I want to try fried chicken that way. Sometimes I nail fried chicken and sometimes I don't. And I've tried just about every method and combo there is.
quote:
I want to try fried chicken that way. Sometimes I nail fried chicken and sometimes I don't. And I've tried just about every method and combo there is.
I've had similar issues other than when I fry the skinless for fried chicken gumbo. Always good, but I like skin when I'm eating fried chicken!
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