Moroccan Fried Eggplants - AWED

My love for mediteranean cuisine started when we went to a small authentic middle eastern restaurant in Denver few years back.It was for a friends birthday party and we were a huge gang.Since nobody had any idea about the food, the chef decided to bring out his favorites right from appetizers to desserts.We started off with a fried eggplant appetizer,which was so delicious that it disappeared from the plate as soon as it was brought to the table.The food was so memorable that whenever I think about mediteranean food this dish comes to my mind.

At last after all these years Sri's AWED event made me search for this recipe and try it out.

When I started my search I stumbled upon lots of 'Fried Eggplant' recipes like 'Salatat Bathinjan', 'Badhinjan Miqli' named according to the region with very little variations.But none of them suited the dish I had in mind. Finally I saw this 'Moroccon Fried eggplants' which was exactly what I was looking for.However I made slight variations in these too, instead of egg for dipping I used 'flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water' and instead of flour for dredging I used bread crumbs .

Here's how we do it.

Ingredients
1 large Eggplant

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbls chopped garlic

1 table spoon flour

2 cups bread crumbs.

Method.
Remove the stem and slice the Eggplant into thick slices.

Sprinkle some salt over the slices and leave it for about 15 - 30 mins.

Pat the slices dry using a kitchen towelAdd the chilli powder, garlic and lemon juice to the slices and mix well to coat.Allow to rest for 30 mins.

Mix the flour in a bowl with 1/4 cup water to form a light batter.(You can also use one beaten egg instead of flour batter). Spread the Breadcrumbs in a plate.

I cooked them in two batches, one batch using the skillet and another batch using the oven. Both turned out great with a unique taste.

For the skillet:

Add enough Olive oil to a skillet to fully cover the bottom, and heat the oil over medium heat. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and the toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly and place it in the hot oil.Fry the eggplant in batches, turning several times, until deep golden brown. Remove the eggplant to paper towels or a rack to drain.

For the Oven:

Preheat the Oven to 200 Deg C. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and then toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly.Place the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle some olive oil over them and bake till crispy for about 20 mins.

Serve warm with any sauce of your choice.

Whether served as a vegetable side dish, or as part of the main course, these slices of breaded eggplant are a tasty addition to any meal.

Note:To make it even more richer you can add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.