Deep Fried Eggplant Balls

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Deep fried eggplant balls is a classic recipe from the South of Italy, flavoured with basil, garlic and Parmesan, even the fuzziest children will devour those delightful vegetable bites. They are perfect to serve as a starter, on a buffet table or as canapes.

Make sure you read the recipe before you make them.

Here few pointers:

1. Once the eggplants are cooked in the microwave, you need to let them cool down completely before you can squeeze out all the water.
   So you need to microwave them at least a few hours before making the deep fried eggplant balls.
2. You can do most of the work the day before and just fry them the same day.
   The longer the mix rests in the fridge the more the eggplants absorb the flavour of the garlic, basil and Parmesan.
   So best to prepare the mix the day before.
3. If you have any deep fried eggplant balls left over, and that is a big IF, you can eat them the next day. Even served at room temperature, they are delightful.

For this recipe I use regular eggplants.

So here are few more tips:

1. When I buy eggplants I always choose the thinnest as they usually have fewer seeds. I hate when I open an eggplant and the flesh is full of seeds, I often end up throwing it away.
2. Once the eggplants are cooked in the microwave and the water is squeezed, they reduce in size, so make sure you have enough eggplants.
3. If you don’t have a microwave, you can boil the eggplants but do not cut or peel them before you boil them, otherwise, they will absorb all the water.

Coming up in the next few weeks:

If you are looking for more eggplant recipes, here you will find some more ideas.

Regular, round, small, long, white and tiger, a different way of cooking each shape.

Stay tuned!

As a matter of interest, I always cut my vegetables over a dedicated vegetable cutting board as it is more hygienic.

I use an Index Chopping Board Set you can find on Amazon (affiliate link)

Each board is colour coded and has a symbol indicating its use e.g. meat (red), fish (blue), vegetables (green), and cooked food (white).

Here are more of my favourite kitchen tools

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5 from 4 votes

Deep Fried Eggplant Balls

Deep fried eggplant balls is a classic recipe from the South of Italy, even the fuzziest children will devour those delightful vegetable bites. #yourguardianchef #appetizers #vegetarian #buffet

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Resting time3 hrs

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: bites, Eggplants, fried

Servings: 16 balls

Calories: 143kcal

Ingredients

• 6 medium eggplants
• 3 cups breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tsp salt
• oil for deep frying

US Customary – Metric

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Instructions

• Peel and cut the eggplants into small cubes
  
• Cove and put in the microwave for 10 minutes at high power
  
• Open carefully make sure you don’t get burned by the steam. Stir and put back in the microwave for 10 more minutes
• Let it cool down completely, 1 or 2 hours
• Taking a handful at the time squeeze out the water
  
• Mix with all the ingredients. You can prepare it the day before and let it rest in the fridge overnight 
  
• Shape them into oval balls that fit into the palm of your hand
  
• Deep fry in oil
• Once cooked place on an absorbent kitchen paper to drain the excess oil
  
• You can eat them hot or at room temperature
  

Video

Notes

Important Notes:

1. Once the eggplants are cooked in the microwave, you need to let them cool down completely before you can squeeze out all the water.
   So you need to microwave them at least a few hours before making the deep fried eggplant balls.
2. You can do most of the work the day before and just fry them the same day.
   The longer the mix rests in the fridge the more the eggplants absorb the flavour of the garlic, basil and Parmesan.
   So best to prepare the mix the day before.
3. If you have any deep fried eggplant balls left over, and that is a big IF, you can eat them the next day. Even served at room temperature, they are delightful.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Deep Fried Eggplant Balls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 143 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 2g 3%

Cholesterol 22mg 7%

Sodium 500mg 21%

Potassium 445mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 24g 8%

Dietary Fiber 6g 24%

Sugars 7g

Protein 6g 12%

Vitamin A 2.7%

Vitamin C 4.8%

Calcium 9.4%

Iron 8.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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