'Eggplant sweet and sour': A crispy dish even eggplant haters will love

For a stunning weekend dinner spread, consider a dish built around the deep-purple eggplant.

The recipe to try is eggplant sweet and sour — eggplant fried to a crisp, with a pleasantly sweet flavor that deepens with every bite. It makes a great special dish the whole family can enjoy, and even children who normally dislike eggplant tend to find it hard to resist.

Using eggplant instead of meat keeps the calorie count low, and since the dish contains no dairy or fish, it is also suitable for vegans.

Eggplant belongs to the "purple food" category of vegetables and is particularly rich in the natural purple pigment that many Koreans lack in their diets. The purple pigment in plants is packed with anthocyanins, which may help slow aging and prevent inflammation.

Finish the dish by drizzling the sweet-and-sour sauce over the fried eggplant — and toss it just before serving to keep the coating crispy as long as possible.

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2 eggplants, potato starch, frying mix, cold water, cooking oil, red chili pepper, green onion, sesame seeds

Sauce: soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, water, ketchup, minced garlic, red pepper powder

1. Cut the eggplant into half-moon slices.

2. Mix the potato starch, frying mix and cold water to make a batter, then coat the eggplant pieces evenly.

3. Fry the eggplant in preheated oil until golden. For an extra-crispy result, let the pieces cool and fry them a second time.

4. Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil, add the red chili pepper and green onion, and let it boil briefly.

5. Quickly toss the fried eggplant in the sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Source: Woori's Table