SUNNY'S BEER-BATTERED EGGPLANT FRIES WITH NUNYA BUSINESS TZATZIKI DIP RECIPE - (4.7/5)

Sunny's Beer-Battered Eggplant Fries with Nunya Business Tzatziki Dip Recipe - (4.7/5) image

Provided by margiekyle

Number Of Ingredients 20

DIP:
8 ounces chive and onion cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 English cucumber, cut into chunks
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
EGGPLANT:
2 eggplant, peeled and cut into fry-length spears (avoid the seeded center)
Vegetable oil, for brushing
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Greek seasoning blend
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning blend
Zest of 2 lemons
Kosher salt
12 About 12 ounces beer
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
Lemon wedges, for squeezing
Kosher salt

Steps:

For the dip: In a food processor, add the cream cheese, dill, cucumber and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice and pulse until smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For the eggplant: Place the eggplant spears on a baking sheet and lightly brush with the oil just to coat. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, Greek seasoning, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the eggplant in batches and coat with the flour mixture, shaking to remove the excess, then remove to a plate. For the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, Greek seasoning, lemon zest and a nice pinch of salt until combined. Slowly whisk in the beer until you achieve a pancake batter consistency; you may not use all of the beer. Allow the batter to rest 5 minutes. If it thickens, loosen with a bit more beer. Heat a fryer filled with oil to the proper level or a pot with about 2 inches of oil to 365 degrees F. In batches, dunk the flour-coated eggplant spears into the batter, shake off the excess and gently place in the oil. Fry until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes, making sure to maintain an oil temperature around 350 degrees F. Remove the eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately spritz lightly with lemon juice and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Serve immediately with the chilled dip.