Eggplant Fries

These Peruvian eggplant fries from the cookbook Andina are light and pair perfectly with sweet pomegranate syrup and yogurt dips. The sweet-and-sour flavor of the pomegranate and the creaminess of the yogurt are the perfect combination with the crispy eggplant.

For the marinade in this recipe, you need 75 g amarillo paste. The recipe, for 100 ml, is at the bottom of the method.

Method

First, marinate the eggplant fries. Mix the ingredients for the marinade with 1 tsp salt. Place the eggplant fries in it and gently toss the marinade over them until the fries are fully coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to cook, first make the chancaca pomegranate syrup. Heat the juice, sugar and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat. Let it simmer gently, stirring regularly, until the sugar has completely dissolved, then reduce it until the texture becomes syrupy (7-8 minutes). Pour the syrup into a small bowl and set aside.

Make the yogurt dip. Mix the yogurt with the muña powder or dried mint and the fresh mint or huacatay leaves, and add salt and pepper. Pour the dip into a small bowl, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over it and set aside.

Remove the eggplant fries from the marinade and pat them dry if they have released liquid. Mix the cornmeal or polenta with the chickpea flour and add some salt. Dust the eggplant fries with this mixture.

Fill a large saucepan halfway with vegetable oil or use a deep fryer, and heat the oil to approximately 180°C. Fry the eggplant fries in the oil for 3-4 minutes, until they float to the surface and are crispy and golden brown. Remove the fries from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain them on kitchen paper. You may need to do this in batches.

Serve the eggplant fries with the pomegranate syrup and yogurt dip. Dip the fries first in the syrup and then in the yogurt (and hopefully a pomegranate seed comes along too). Together, the flavors create a spectacular taste sensation!

Amarillo Paste
To make the amarillo paste, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Fry the onion for 7-8 minutes until soft but not browned, add the garlic and chilies and fry everything for another 2-3 minutes until soft. Add salt to taste and let the paste cool completely. Briefly blend the cooled paste with an immersion blender until smooth, then set aside until needed. (You can store leftover paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

Title: Andina
Author: Martin Morales
Publisher: Fontaine Uitgevers
Price: €21,99