Eggplants are used to make a variety of tasty meals worldwide. For this crispy snack, garden eggs are cut into thin slices, coated with flour, egg, and panko, and then fried to golden brown perfection. Paired with a slightly vinegary peanut dip, this snack is a great addition to your favourite recipes.
The Fruit
Yes, if we want to be technical, then garden eggs are actually fruits and not vegetables. In their everyday use however they are treated like vegetables.
According to the Lost Crops of Africa, in the 1500s the British took this "Guinea squash" from West Africa back to Britain and named it egg-plant due to its similarity in colour and size to a hen's egg. Later, in Britain, this variant would lose popularity and the name with it, in favour of the now very popular purple-looking plant. The name Eggplant does not only refer to this purple variant (Aubergine) but is also used as the overarching term for all varieties of the fruit.
Garden eggs (also white brinjals) are a type of eggplant with white or cream skin ones and these are the variety mainly consumed here in Ghana.
Garden egg stew is typically the most common use of this vegetable. They are boiled, mashed, and then made into a stew with palm oil and fish. The stew is then typically served with boiled yam or boiled ripe plantains. When eaten raw, they have a slightly bitter taste but are crunchy the bite.
Garden eggs are also used to thicken soups or eaten raw in certain parts of West Africa. In parts of Nigeria, they are eaten raw as a quick snack with or without groundnuts.
The stems and leaves can also be eaten, however in Ghana, making a stew is the most common use. Their colour changes from white to yellow as they mature and can sometimes have a slightly bitter taste but this is not unpleasant at all.
Ingredients
Apart from pickling garden eggs (which I loved), another of my favourite recipes with this fruit is this one.
The slices are coated in well-seasoned flour (mixed with cornstarch), whisked eggs, and then panko. They're also dipped in salty water to get some salt into them but also so that the flour holds on better unto the slices.
Variations and Additions
You can substitute the panko with desiccated coconut and these taste just as amazing. You don't get that super crunch you would if you used panko. What it lacks for in crunch it makes up for in taste.
If you need to be watching your fried food intake (as we all should be) or you just want a healthier version of these, then you can bake them in the oven (about 200-220°C). Make sure to turn the slices about 5 minutes in and then bake them for another 3 -4 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
If you have an air fryer, then this is also a good and healthier option (refer to your manufacturer's manual to determine cook times.
These snacks are tasty on their own but with a groundnut dip, they truly reach perfection. The groundnut(peanut) dip is a mix of groundnut paste, red chilli flakes, olive oil, chopped garlic chives, salt, and fish sauce (optional). The addition of vinegar to the groundnut dip makes a fantastic combination of salty, vinegary, and crispy.
These golden-brown bites are fantastic with this passion fruit chiller or an all-time favourite, this tangerine, sugarcane and pineapple juice.
Crispy Fried Garden Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 large garden eggs
- 100 grams plain flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 small eggs
- 120 grams panko or regular breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onions powder
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns crushed
- 2 tsp white pepper
- table salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Wash garden eggs and cut them into thin slices (about ½ of a cm).
- Mix flour with paprika, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and a teaspoon of black pepper. Add a quarter of a teaspoon of salt.
- Whisk eggs and add the rest of black pepper and a pinch of salt.
- Add a pinch of salt to the breadcrumbs.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt to 250 ml of water.
- Dip the slices into the salty water briefly and then into the flour, the egg and then the breadcrumbs.
- Heat frying pan with vegetable oil and fry garden egg slices over medium heat.
- Flip the slices after about 1 minute and fry until golden brown.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- If you don't have panko you can use regular breadcrumbs. I love panko in this recipe as it makes these bites extra crunchy.
- These crispy fried snacks are best eaten when hot. They are however still incredibly tasty even when cold.
Tea says
Hi!
Do garden eggs and the European purple eggplant have the same texture? Would the recipe be just as satisfying with purple eggplant?
Thanks!
Edinam says
Thy do have a similar texture although I feel the purple eggplants are spongier. But yes, you can make this recipe with the purple eggplants/aubergines as well.