CNY Recipes Part 3: Por Por's Deep Fried Stuffed Eggplants

This is one of our favourite dishes that our grandma (Por Por) cooked, and everytime I went home to HK, we'd request for it and she'd be more than happy to do it for us! Her meticulousness in the kitchen is amazing and every piece of stuffed eggplant was always uniformly thin, deep fried to fluffy perfection.
This CNY, I decided to pay tribute to our dear Por Por (though mine is a far cry from hers), and I'm happy that the Woos loved it!

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:

2 Eggplants/ Brinjals (it's ok to use either the short stumpy or long skinny ones, as long as you create enough surface area when you slice. Slice diagonally if you're using the skinny ones)
200g Dory Fillet (actually any boneless white fish will do)
1 stalk Spring Onions, finely chopped

- Seasoning for Fish Paste -
1 Tbsp Seasame Oil
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Corn Flour
2 tsp Salt

- Batter for Deep Frying -
1/2 cup Self Raising Flour (because it's more convenient! Alternatively, use the same amount of Plain flour and add 1/2 tsp baking powder)
1 tsp Salt
1 egg (optional - and I say optional because I forgot to add it today!)
1 tsp Oil
Water

Directions:
1. Prepare batter by mixing flour, salt, oil and egg. Add in water slowly until mixture becomes smooth with no lumps (you can use a whisk, but Por Por used chopsticks so I did too!). You've got the right consistency when it's just thick enough to form a coating on your whisk/ chopsticks and about half of it drips back in. Allow to stand for at least 20 mins to rise.
2. Mince fish fillets in a food processor (this I was too lazy to emulate :P , Por Por chops it up herself). Place in a large mixing bowl and add in Spring Onions and seasoning. Quickly stir and mix fish until it becomes a paste. Leave in the fridge to marinade and set for 20 mins.
3. Slice eggplants thinly, leaving a gap in each slice (i.e. when cutting the eggplants - don't slice all the way through the first time, but slice through the next slice, and you get a "eggplant pita"). Stuff eggplants with fish paste.
4. Coat eggplants in batter, deep fry in a wok/ deep pot until golden brown. Drain Oil and serve while it's hot (I added Ah Mak's Bei Fong Tong topping, but you can also serve with chilli sauce or mayo... anything!)!!

EAT UP!

*An alternative to fish paste is actually cheese! Simply tear kraft singles into small pieces, and deep fry the same way - this becomes more of an italian dish now! The cheese melts and also fuses somewhat with the batter... oh how I love burnt cheese! The eggplants can also be deep fried plain... and you can add some variety by also deep frying cucumber and sweet potato slices.*