Our new favourite fries are made from eggplant and served with spicy chickpeas and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
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1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle
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1 brown onion, finely chopped
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3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated
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2 long fresh green chillies, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
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2 garlic cloves, crushed
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1 tsp ground cumin
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1/2 tsp ground allspice
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1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
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Mutti Polpa Finely Chopped Tomatoes 400g
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400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
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125ml (1/2 cup) water
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75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
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2 eggs
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100g (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs
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8 Lebanese eggplants, halved lengthways
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Grapeseed oil, to shallow-fry
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Greek yoghurt, to serve
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Baby spinach leaves, to serve
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Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan force. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the ginger, chilli and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft. Stir in the cumin, allspice and cinnamon. Add the tomato, chickpeas and water. Bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly.
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Meanwhile, place the flour on a plate. Season. Lightly whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Place the breadcrumbs on a separate plate. Dip 1 eggplant half in the flour. Shake off excess. Dip in egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to coat. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, flour, egg and breadcrumbs.
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Pour enough grapeseed oil into a frying pan to come 1cm up the side. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook the eggplant halves, in batches, for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on a plate lined with paper towel.
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Place the eggplant, flat-side up, on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until just tender. Transfer to a serving plate. Top with the tomato mixture. Dollop over the yoghurt. Scatter with the spinach leaves and drizzle with extra oil. Season with pepper.
Source: taste.com.au
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