Vegetarian Recipes - Crisp Deep-fried Vegetables Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 eggs

• 1 long aubergine (eggplant), peeled, halved lengthways and sliced into half moons

• 1 long sweet potato, peeled and sliced into rounds

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, halved lengthways and cut into half moons

• salt and ground black pepper

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

• chili sambal or hot chili sauce for dipping

Serves 4-6

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Method:

1. Beat the eggs in a wide bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables in the egg to coat thoroughly.

2. Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a large wok. Cook the vegetables in small batches, making sure there is plenty of egg coating each piece.

3. When they turn golden, lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

4. Keep the vegetables hot while successive batches are being fried.

5. Serve warm with chili sambal, hot chili sauce or a dipping sauce of your choice.

Note: Stir-fried, steamed or deep-fried vegetables served with a dipping sauce are common fare throughout Asia, and often appear among the delightful "no-name" dishes popular in Thai tourist fare.

Cook's Tips: To encourage the beaten egg coating to adhere to the pieces of aubergine (eggplant) sweet potatoes and butternut squash, toss them in flour or corn flour (cornstarch) first. Courgettes (zucchini), angled loofah, taro root or pumpkin could also be used.