[ScottinAtlanta]

Originally Posted by Zeedman

We grow several of the the long, Asian-type eggplant varieties. Our favorite ways to eat them are as battered & fried "fans"; chopped into an omelet; in a salad with fresh tomatoes & okra; or as one of the many vegetables in the Filipino soup pinakbet.

To make the "fans", we first steam the eggplant whole until cooked, then allow them to cool & peel them (we freeze a lot of them at that stage). With the stem still attached, we slice lengthwise several times away from the stem, then dip them into a spiced egg batter & fry them. After being flattened with the spatula, they widen at the blossom end, forming a fan shape. You hold them by the stem to eat them... all of our children & grandchildren love eggplant this way. Any remaining batter is scrambled with the pan leavings, which is how we discovered how good chopped eggplant omelets are.

I ate them that way in the Philippines - great dish. I roast it rather than steam it.