Get some more veggies on your plate with this meat-free dish no one can resist! With its crispy coating, creamy inside and sweet, sticky sauce, this vegetable side is a hero all on its own in the flavour stakes.
Crispy Honey Sesame Eggplant
1 large eggplant
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
½ cup plain flour
2 eggs, lightly whisked
v egetable oil for deep frying
1 tsp sesame seeds
sea salt
Honey sauce:
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp corn flour (cornstarch) mixed with 2 tbsp water
- Trim and discard the eggplant stem. Then trim the eggplant so that it is almost a neat rectangle. Then cut into roughly 3cm cubes. Place the eggplants pieces into a colander set over a bowl and season with salt. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
- To make the honey sauce, heat the honey, vinegar and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer gently for about a minute. Then stir through the corn flour mixture and simmer for another minute until thickened. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Even out the panko crumbs by using a mortar and pestle to gentle grind and pound them. Alternatively use a ziplock bag and rolling pin.
- Place the breadcrumbs, flour and eggs into separate shallow plates.
- Dip each piece of eggplant into the flour, then egg and then c oat with the breadcrumbs.
- Fill a saucepan or wok to about 1/3 capacity with the vegetable oil. Heat over high heat. The oil is hot enough at 165°C/325°F or when a wooden spoon dipped into the oil forms small little bubbles.
- Cook the eggplant in batches in the hot oil until golden. Drain on paper towel.
- To serve, pile the eggplant nuggets onto a plate. Drizzle with the honey sauce (warm it gently on the stovetop if it’s too thick). And sprinkle with sesame seeds.
