Sunday, October 5, 2014

Crispy Fried Aubergine


When I was little, I didn't like aubergine/ eggplant. Now that I'm older, I can quite fathom why... Some things that wee-Kat didn't eat, such as blue cheese, make sense (even if I'm now a fan!) or tinned-baked beans (they're still ick!!)... But aubergine? It's just so nommy!!

My two most favourite preparations of aubergine are traditionally performed by my Da; either barbecued and marinated or barbecued and then wrapped around feta and chargrilled red peppers... YUM! But those are recipes for another time!

Today's recipe results in a crispy, crunchy exterior and creamy, egg-planty interior. I learned this from the Korean house-guest of a Childhood friend of my Ma's (try saying that 10 times fast!)... But I'm not sure of the actual origins.




You'll need:

One aubergine sliced 5-7mm thick (aka "not too thick, not too thin - just right"!)
1 egg, beaten
Panko crumbs
Salt, to taste

Oil to fill your chosen cooking vessel to 1cm

Heat the oil in a pan over medium to high heat.

Put your beaten egg in one, shallow dish (I usually use a bread-plate) and your Panko crumbs and salt in another (sometimes I put sesame seeds in here too!)...

Once the oil comes up to temperature (I usually test this by placing a small piece of break into the oil, and if it goes golden brown and sizzly pretty quickly, I figure I'm good to go!)... Take a slice of egg plant, dip in first in the egg, then in the bread crumbs and slide it into the oil.

Fry until golden brown on one side before turning to cook the other. This is where the thinness of your slicing comes into play, as a "too thick" slice won't cook all the way through before the outside has burnt. And neither burnt crumb nor raw aubergine is all that fun...

Serve the cooked egg plant as a side dish or snack with a sauce of your choice (I like lemon juice and salt).

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