Crispy Eggplant Fritters

Sometimes I'm inspired about what to cook by recipes I've seen on television or in magazines. Gourmet Traveller is one of my favourites for foodspiration! Other times it's something I've eaten at a restaurant or cafe or a dish I've come across online. Days like today, I'm inspired by the beautiful fresh produce I find at the fruit and veg shop or market. Today I picked up a bag of gorgeous purple and white striped eggplants and knew that I had to create something delicious with them.

What to cook though? Layers of chargrilled eggplant and mince in a cheesy moussaka? Indian eggplant curry? A slow cooked ragout, a la ratatouille? In this case the healthy options lost and the deep fried eggplant fritters won!

I'm usually not a fan of deep frying things, but I couldn't resist. Crispy panko crumbed eggplant slices, cooked until golden brown on the outside and soft and creamy inside. Perfect!

To counteract the oiliness of the deep fried eggplant, I wanted some fresh flavours with a bit of acidity. The herbed yogurt and tomato, rocket and fennel salad matched perfectly. This actually was quite a light meal and the eggplant didn't taste too greasy. My husband was a bit sceptical at first, but ended up loving it. A win for all!

Eggplant Fritters With Herbed Yogurt And Tomato, Fennel and Rocket Salad

2 medium eggplants

1 egg

A dash of milk

Plain flour for coating

Panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil for deep frying

1 cup natural yogurt

A handful each of parsley and mint leaves

2 tomatoes, diced

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced

A handful of rocket leaves

A drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Cut the stalk end off each eggplant and then slice lengthways into roughly 1cm slices.

Place on a tray and generously sprinkle both sides with salt.

Leave for 30 minutes to release the bitter juices and then rinse well. Pat dry with paper towel.

To crumb the fillets, prepare three bowls, one with plain flour, one with panko crumbs and one with the egg and milk lightly whisked and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Dip each eggplant slice into flour, egg wash and then crumbs. Set aside on a tray until all pieces have been crumbed.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Por oil into a medium sized saucepan until it is about 4-5cm deep.

Heat over medium heat until a few pieces of the panko crumbs start to sizzle as soon as they are added. The oil is now hot enough.

Two pieces at a time, fry eggplant for about 1 minute each side, or until crumbs are golden brown.

Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray covered with paper towel.

Repeat with remaining eggplant slices, making sure they are in a single layer on the tray.

When all pieces have been fried, place the whole tray in the oven for another 5 minutes to really crisp up.

To make the yoghurt, finely chop the herbs and add to the natural yoghurt. Season to taste.

To make the salad, combine diced tomato, sliced fennel and rocket leaves in a bowl. Season to taste.

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to your liking. You don't need any oil in this dressing as the eggplant is oily enough.

To serve, place eggplant fritters on a plate, dollop herbed yoghurt around the outside and place a mound of the salad on top.

Enjoy!