Jewish · Authentic-ish Jewish
Fried Aubergine
74 kcal a serving, against 200 for the traditional version. That is 126 kcal off, or 63%, with 1.5g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour.
What the traditional version is
Large aubergines cut into thick slices, salted to draw out some of the liquid, then rinsed, patted dry and deep-fried in a pan of hot oil until completely soft, golden and almost collapsing. Served warm or at room temperature, usually just with a little pinch of salt, sometimes a squeeze of lemon. The mark of success is a pile of aubergine so soft you have to scoop it, with barely any resistance left inside.
What changed, and what each change costs
The deep-frying for brush-on oil and a hot oven
Aubergine slices brushed with oil and baked on a rack pick up a little colour and just enough tenderness, but skip the oil bath. By house rules, deep-frying soaks up about 12% of the aubergine's weight in oil. Brushing comes in much lower. You lose that signature collapse, but you save a wallet's worth of oil and plenty of calories with it.
What it costs you. There's no pretending these will slouch on the plate like the real thing. The baked version holds its shape, and the inside is more creamy than molten. If someone tells you it's just as good, they're lying straight to your face.
Salt stays, but crank the oven up higher than you'd think
Salt is still the first real trick with aubergine and helps draw out bitterness, but a hot oven is the only way you'll get any sort of browning and not just a tray of limp discs.
What it costs you. What you gain is a bit of surface colour. What you lose is the deep, fried, slightly chewy exterior and that soft collapse. It's a trade of decadence for control.
A splash of lemon juice at the end
Once you strip away most of the oil, the lemon cuts through and adds brightness that the original never asks for.
What it costs you. Some will like it, others will want to throw the lemon at you. On balance, I think it's worth risking the argument.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 200 | 74 |
| Protein | 1.5g | 1.5g |
| Fat | 18.3g | 4.3g |
| Saturated fat | 2.4g | 0.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 8.8g | 9.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 0.7g | 2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Jewish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
The method is in the book
The original is a once-in-a-blue-moon treat and honestly, there's nothing quite like the salty, sagging pile you get from the fryer. The baked version is for weeknights or when you want to serve something you can eat without immediately lying down. Texture-wise, it isn't as soft and giving - it's honest about what it is. Still, you can eat twice as much without feeling the kitchen spinning. Whether that's a win or not depends how much you love oil.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Jewish, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.