Panko Crusted Fried Eggplant and Shiitake Mushrooms

Panko crusted fried eggplant and shiitake mushrooms are mouthwatering easy recipe. Crispy, juicy, and so yummy!

Grab fresh eggplants and shiitake mushrooms, and make them crispy!

This is basic Japanese style fried recipe by dipping in flour, egg, and panko. How to make it is so simple and easy, but I'm sure you won't get tired of eating it.

This recipe is great for dinner, lunch, afternoon snacks, or even house party.

Recommend this recipe for
• Someone who love Japanese recipe
• Someone who wants to learn how to cook eggplant
• Someone who wants to learn how to cook shiitake mushroom
• Someone who look for Japanese panko recipe

If you are not familiar with panko, I tell you in the below so please check it out.

Ok, let me walk you through the ingredients and how to make it with step by step instructions. Let's get started!

About this recipe

• Japanese style fried recipe
• Use panko(bread crumbs)
• Vegetarian recipe(Vegan adaptable)

📋 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients(amounts is in recipe card below).

• Shiitake mushroom, eggplant
• Batter：Egg, flour, panko

What is panko?

Panko means "bread(pan) flour(ko)" in Japanese, which is type of breadcrumbs that we use for various dishes.

Panko is used as a coating for fried food like Koyadofu katsu, or as a binder like Tofu hambagu, or as a crunchy topping for baked dish in Japanese cooking.

Panko is made by grinding a bread into small flakes so if you have leftover bread at home, it's easy to make it on your own.

Dried panko and Nama panko

There are 2 types of panko available:

• Dried panko
• Nama panko(not dried)

The difference is amount of water contained. Nama panko includes more water than dried one so it's soft.

Flakes of nama panko are often larger and the texture after deep frying is more fluffy and lighter than dried one.

On the other hand, the texture of dried panko is more crunchy.

Dried panko last longer and is versatile for any dishes in my opinion so I most likely have dried one in my pantry. However If you want a dish to be with lighter texture, then nama panko is suitable.

How to select eggplant

Eggplants are available all year round, but the season is from summer to fall.

When you are at a grocery store, let's check the following points and choose a fresh one.

• The color is dark purple and glossy
• When you hold it, it should be firm and heavy
• The end of stem looks fresh
• Sharp thorns remain on the hem

How to select shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms are also available all year round, but the season is spring and fall in Japan.

In order to select tasty shiitake, check the shape and color. Please refer to the following points when you select one.

• The cap is thick, nice brown, and glossy
• The cap is domed(not completely flat)
• The back of the cap is whitish and the pleats are firm
• Stem is thick and short

If the back of the cap is brown, it's not fresh. Also, if it smells sour, avoid choosing it as it’s already gone bad.

🔪Step by step instructions

Let me show you the steps. Please check the video as well.

1. Cut vegetables: Cut shiitake stalk(cook it as well),  sliced eggplant into 1cm(½ inch) rounds. If the tip of the shiitake stalk is hard, cut it off.
2. Dip in the batter: Put flour, beaten egg, and panko in each container to prepare batter. Then dip vegetables in the order of flour-> beaten egg -> panko. The white part on the back of the shiitake is dented, so it's easier to coat with the batter with your hand.
3. Ready to cook: All vegetables have been breaded. It is also possible to freeze them at this stage if you want to save for some other time.
4. Deep fry:  Deep fry them for a few minutes over medium heat until golden brown. I use minimum amount of oil, but it's ok to deep fry in plenty of oil.

Here you go! It's beautiful, isn't it? Fresh hot one is so crispy and delicious!

What to serve with

Vegetables are not seasoned, so dip it in the sauce and enjoy!

Store-bought sauce is good, but homemade one is also good and easy to make, so why not try making one?

I also recommend to add seasoning to beaten egg and bread crumbs. Please give it a try!

• Homemade sauce(The recipe is in this Koyadofu Katsu recipe)
• Blend ketchup and mayonnaise 1:1
• Tartar sauce
• Season the beaten egg with salt and pepper
• Season the panko with salt and pepper, or grated cheese, parsley, aonori(dried seaweed)

Vegan adaptable

If you are a vegan, or try to avoid consume eggs, this recipe is vegan adaptable.

Make a batter by mixing flour and water at a ratio of 1: 1. It will a little thick batter. Then dip vegetables in, bread with panko then cook it.

Stock in the freezer

You can store them in the freezer before deep frying.

Dipping in the batter one by one can be a bit of work, so cooking in bulk and storing in the freezer is a big help for busy workday night dinner.

It will last in the freezer up to one month.

Other vegetables you might wanna try

My favorite are eggplant and shiitake mushrooms, but other vegetables like this are also delicious.

• Onion
• Kabocha(pumpkin)
• Carrot
• Zucchini
• Okra
• Chinese yam

Thanks for Stopping By

So how did you like the recipe?

It's great for side or main for dinner, or put it in a sandwich for lunch.

Let's transform shiitake mushrooms and eggplants into gorgeous dishes:)

Thank you for taking time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe(or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!

Also feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog which share simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes include vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step by step instructions.

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