This recipe was shared with me by our CSA member Tahne, who enjoyed it in its original form at Curate. Head here to see the recipe as it was written by local chef Katie Button (with milk & honey) or carry on to see my plant based version with oat milk & agave. As chef Katie shares within her recipe, this eggplant dish is Andalusian & called ‘Berenjenas Fritas’ though it traditionally uses cane sugar in lieu of either honey or agave.
We wolfed down this delicious dish, and I cannot recommend you trying it out at home enough! The combination of rosemary, salt & agave balanced perfectly into one of the most enjoyable eggplant recipes I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating!
Ingredients
2 to 3 cups oat milk (I used plain chobani oat milk)
2 medium eggplants
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil (I only coated the pan with coconut oil & topped it off when needed)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup agave
1 rosemary sprig
Kosher salt
I may have overbrowned a few, but the extra crunch was a bonus, not a drawback!
Instructions
Pour the oat milk into a medium bowl. Trim the top and bottom of the eggplant, then peel (I skipped this step with no major consequences). Cut the eggplant into 3/8-inch-thick slices. As you slice the eggplant, put the slices into the bowl with the oat milk. The oat milk should cover the eggplant. If it doesn’t, add more. Weigh down the eggplant with a heavy plate that fits snugly over the bowl to keep the eggplant submerged. Cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
When ready to cook, fill a large skillet with the vegetable oil. It should be about ½ inch deep; if not, add more. (Again, I only coated the pan here) Heat the oil over medium heat until an instant-read thermometer registers 350°F. A pinch of flour should sizzle when it hits the oil.
Spread the flour on a plate. Drain the eggplant. Dredge a slice in the flour and tap off the excess. Carefully drop into the hot oil. Repeat with more eggplant slices, being careful to not crowd the pan. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. The eggplant shouldn’t get too dark; reduce the heat if needed. Transfer to a wire rack to drain and immediately sprinkle with salt and drizzle with agave (be cautious with your agave, I dotted the slices since it can be overpoweringly sweet). Repeat with the remaining eggplant and flour.