The aubergine is a light, digestible summer vegetable that will help keep cholesterol and cellular oxidation in check. And moreover, it is a delicious food with an intense flavour that you can prepare in many different ways and at the same time visually impressive. One of them is the aubergine bake, which shows that sometimes the simplest dishes are the tastiest.
You can also make aubergine bites in an air fryer, which will help you control the amount of oil, especially if you use spray oil. Oven-baked aubergines with goats’ cheese and piquillo peppers are another option that will have you craving more, as the saying goes.
And what about fried as you used to have them? That would be the case, for example, with fried aubergines with cane honey or molasses, very typical in provinces such as Málaga (particularly the Axarquía area), Granada and Córdoba. You’ll have already noticed that fried aubergines absorb a lot of oil. Why does this happen? Is it possible to avoid it?
The trick to stop aubergines absorbing so much oil
Have you noticed how light an aubergine is for its size? The structure of the aubergine consists of tiny air-filled spaces, and it is these spaces that cause the sponge effect when submerged in oil. Thus, the longer it fries, the more oil it will absorb. On the other hand, the aubergine contains a lot of water, which, when evaporated, is replaced by oil, giving another reason to think twice.
To avoid having to forgo them and to be able to enjoy them whenever you fancy, here is a simple yet effective trick. What you need to do is submerge the aubergine in cold sparkling water. Yes, you read that correctly, cold sparkling water. Once you’ve done this, dry it well and remove all traces of moisture so that when it comes into contact with the hot oil it won’t splatter.
A continuación pásala por harina de garbanzo y no de trigo, ya que esta absorbe más aceite y más humedad. También puedes mezclar las dos o incluso utilizar la de arroz que mejora la textura. A la hora de freír, hazlo en abundante aceite caliente, pero sin que llegue a humear; en caso de que estuviera frío, se confitarían y quedarían blandas.
A la hora de escurrir la berenjena hazlo en rejilla en vez de sobre papel absorbente (puedes poner el papel debajo de la rejilla para que no manche la encimera). La idea es que circule el aire para que mantenga su textura crujiente y no se reblandezca.
Y si lo que te interesa es eliminar el amargor de la berenjena, aunque no vayas a freírla sino a prepararla de otra manera, te resultará muy útil conocer el truco de la sal. Para ello tendrás que partirla por la mitad, espolvorear sal sobre la pulpa y dejarla reposar media hora en un colador. A continuación tendrás que enjuagarla y secarla con papel de cocina. Cocínala enseguida para evitar que se ennegrezca. ¡Así de fácil!
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