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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

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    Torrejas de Berenjenas (Battered Fried Eggplants)

    Torrejas de Berenjenas (Fried Eggplants)

    En Español Recipe ↆ

    A delicious side dish for your meals, torrejas de berenjenas (fried eggplants) is also easy and quick to make, and it requires few ingredients. It's also a vegetarian favorite.

    Torrejas de Berenjenas (Fried Eggplants)

    JUMP TO: show ↓
    1. Why we ❤️ it
    2. What's a torreja?
    3. Recipe
    4. Referencias

    Why we ❤️ it

    We're on a mission to spread the love for these torrejas de berenjenas (fried eggplants), but we are surprised (we're really not) that we don't seem to all agree on what these things are supposed to be called.

    My mom called them torrejas de berenjenas, but some just call them berenjenas fritas. These are not the only torrejas in the Dominican Republic, the word is also used to refer to other types of fritters, like cornmeal and cassava fritters. This piqued my curiosity, as words and their usage normally do.

    • Ingredients for Torrejas de Berenjenas (Fried Eggplants)
    • Torrejas de Berenjenas (Fried Eggplants) Served with Rice

    What's a torreja?

    The book Diccionario of Dominicanismos by Carlos E. Deive [1] doesn't give us a lot of information, calling it simply "an antiquated word for torrija". Torrija is a French toast-type dessert consisting of bread soaked in milk, sweetened, and fried. Dominicans know it (it's not that well-known) as tostada francesa. Torrija sounds a lot like our torrejas, except that all of the torrejas I know are savory dishes.

    So what did I learn from all this? Not much really, it was just a reminder that language is complicated, and combined with foods even more so. And that we have to be careful when ordering unfamiliar foods in unfamiliar countries because the idea of an eggplant-based dessert is--frankly--quite repulsive.

    Tia Clara

    Recipe

    Keep screen on while cooking

    [Recipe + Video] Torrejas de Berenjenas (Battered Fried Eggplants)

    By: Clara Gonzalez
    A delicious side dish for your meals, Torrejas de Berenjenas (Fried Eggplants) is also easy and quick to make, and it requires few ingredients. It's also a vegetarian favorite.
    5 from 3 votes
    Save for Later Send by Email Print Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine Caribbean, Dominican, Latino
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 165 kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 eggplant (large), cut into ¼ inch-thick [½ cm] slices
    • 2 tablespoons milk (whole or skim), (or water)
    • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 2 egg (large), (or 3 medium ones)
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup oil for frying

    Instructions
     

    • Whisking batter
      Making the batter: Combine milk (or water), cornstarch, eggs, a pinch of pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Mix well. Dip the eggplants in this mixture.
    • Frying torrejas
      Fry: In a frying pan heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Fry the eggplant slices until they turn golden brown, pouring a bit of the batter around them. Add oil by the tablespoons whenever needed.
      Rest on a paper towel to soak excess oil.
    • Served torrejas
      Serve: Use as a side dish, or meat substitute in your lunch, serve freshly fried.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 317mgPotassium: 376mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 115IUVitamin C: 3.4mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 0.6mg

    Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.

    More recipes with: eggplant, eggs

    Referencias

    • [1] Carlos Esteban Deive, Diccionario de Dominicanismos. 2da ed. Sto. Dgo: Ed. Lib. La Trinitaria, 2002.
    Edited: Sep 5, 2021 | Publish: Dec 24, 2004

    ¡Hola! I am Tía Clara, your host. Thanks for visiting.
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    Recipe Rating




    Recipe Rating




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    18 Comments
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    Jessie
    January 19, 2013 5:43 PM

    My Mom makes it with all purpose flour, she also cuts up onions and peppers in the mix and adds a touch of vinegar. She soaks the peeled eggplant in salt water before dipping it in the mixture. It tastes yummy!!

    6
    Reply
    Wendy
    August 2, 2016 1:31 AM

    I made them this past Sunday. They were great. I did pealed them and soaked the sliced eggplants for 30 minutes before dipping them in the battery.

    1
    Reply
    Leslie
    March 22, 2021 5:08 PM

    Can I dip this without flour or cornstarch? doing Keto and can't do almond or coconut flour as I am allergic

    0
    Reply

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