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Parve
Easy
1 Hour, 30 Minutes
Diets 
This is a dish that actually never made it onto our menu. It was developed, and we were very excited about it, but in the end we decided not to use it. The idea is that it’s an eggplant that is attached at the head, and it has a bunch of tentacles that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It’s the blooming onion of the eggplant world. When you do it right, it’s crispy on the exterior, creamy in the interior, and if you’re an eggplant person like me, it’s awesome and it presents beautifully.
You can dip it in anything, but from a balance perspective, I like something acidic. Perhaps a lemony mayonnaise dip, so mixing pickled lemons with mayo would work. You can also do a spicy mayo, or the chipotle maple sauce from the wings, a sweet ranch, or a dill dip. A tartar sauce would definitely work too.
Serves 6–8, depending on eggplant size
3 small eggplants
200 grams (3/4 cup) soy milk
4 eggs
panko breadcrumbs, such as Gefen
oil, for frying
Working with one eggplant at a time, peel most of the eggplant, leaving a few inches unpeeled at the top. This is the octopus’s head.
Hold the eggplant vertically and upside down, so the bottom faces up. Cut through the bottom toward the head, making two cuts in each direction, like a tic-tac-toe board. Make sure not to cut all the way through; the head should stay intact, and the nine pieces (the octopus’s arms) should stay attached to it.
Salt the eggplant well, especially between the nine arm pieces. Let sit for one hour, then rinse and dry well.
In a bowl, combine soy milk, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour breadcrumbs into a second bowl.
Working with one eggplant at a time, dip it in the egg mixture, making sure to coat the arms fully.
Next, dip in the breadcrumbs, again making sure to coat the arms fully.
In a pot with high sides or in a Dutch oven, heat three to four inches of oil over medium heat. Fry the eggplant, completely submerging it in the oil. Remove when the arms are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. (Flipping it once with tongs is a good move. Also, if you place a strainer on the frying eggplant to keep it submerged, it will fry better.)
Salt lightly and serve with lemon mayo, spicy mayo, ranch dressing, or any dipping sauce you like.
Photo and Styling by Yossi and Malky Levine
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