We had a wonderfully warm and sunny day yesterday. It was 71 F (22 C) outside and we even saw some butterflies flying around. When I stepped out, my first grumpy reaction was: "It's so hot!" Typical Estonian, I say. But we truly enjoyed it. We sat outside for so long and in the evening, we went to sauna. It was much needed, since my muscles are super sore after a live show I gave with Neoandertals on Saturday. Fortunately, my fingers are already better, so I can share this awesome recipe with you!
I first made this super simple crispy eggplant in our cabin. I'm buying and eating a lot of eggplant lately, so I wanted to make something more interesting with it. I usually throw it into stews and pastas, but this time we were craving for something crispy. We always crave for something crispy. I guess there is never enough vegan patties or steaks! These breaded fellas are truly easy to make. Just slice the eggplant, rub it with some salt, let it sit for 10 minutes, bread it in chickpea flour or other flour and pan-fry it in hot oil. I also tried to baked them and they turned out good. They are definitely better pan-fried but they are not bad when baked, too!
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| Breading the eggplant |
When you use chickpea flour, this recipe will be completely gluten free. But you can try with other flours too. By the way, when they are eaten hot from the pan, they tasted pretty much liked fried fish. And they are the best when eaten hot and fresh. Serve them on a bread with some vegan mayo or with potatoes, rice, buckwheat, pasta and so on. I boiled some rice for a side and it was lovely. Happy eggplanting!
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| Oven-baked version |
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 12 - 15 steaks
- one eggplant
- chickpea flour or other flour for breading
- salt to taste
- oil (I used refined olive oil)
Cut the eggplant into round slices (about ½ inch / 1 cm thick). Rub them with some salt and let them sit for 10 minutes. They start to "sweat" and become moist. Pat them with chickpea flour (I added some salt to the flour) on both sides. Heat up a pan and add plenty of oil (about ½ inch / 1 cm). Cook the breaded eggplant slices on both sides until crispy. Serve!
PS! For a baked version, put the breaded eggplant slices onto a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Drizzle with a little bit of oil. Bake the eggplant for 25 minutes at 400 F / 200 C.
Find more eggplant recipes HERE!
Find more eggplant recipes HERE!
