Tonight I was craving something fried! Yes, grease is the the best carrier of aroma plus a major comforter and I just needed some great, easy and veggie comfort food. This morning I ran 12 K and the dog couldn't keep up.… She stayed close, tried to find the least stony grounds to run on and needed motivation. I felt so bad, partly because I didn't want to admit that she cannot run with me anymore yet I didn't want to believe it and secondly I knew it was most certainly the last long run together ... My closest friend is slowing down, … sorry I can't see the keys anymore, tears are welling up ....
Dogs are our best company excepting us, loving us, knowing how we are but keeping it to themselves. They will always adore us, interested in anything we do and will always forgive, patiently ...
DOUBLEDIPPING RECOMMENDED
Preparation time 20 min
Cooking time 20 min
You need
2 aubergines, cut in slices
100 g panko* crumbs* or regular bread crumbs
4 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
salt
172 liter vegetable oil for frying
For the Tomato Jam
400 g peeld tomatoes from the can
50 g brown sugar
2 small cloves of garlic
smoked sea salt
chili flakes
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Remove the stem from the aubergine and cut in 1 cm thick slices. place on a baking tray and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sea salt. Let the aubergine set the water and bitter notes free. After 20 minutes rinse the slices in a sieve and dry with a paper towel.
set three plates up with 1. flour. 2. the beaten eggs and 3. the panko crumbs.
Caramelize the brown sugar and pour the tomato over the liquid sugar. This will most definitely splash and bubble. The sugar immediately hardens, but if you keep stirring will dissolve again.
Add the remaining ingredients and spices to your taste and keep on medium heat, stirring occasionally until smooth and creamy. Blend with a handheld blender.
Each aubergine slice must be coated with flour – egg – pnako crumbs. Heat the oil in a deep pot to medium heat (this can be done without the aid of a deep fryer), and fry the aubergines until golden brown on each side and soft on the inside 8-9 minutes each. Lift onto a paper towel on a plate and continue until all are fried. I keep the oil for other occasions , after I ran it through a sieve , in case it is just vegetables I make. That is not recommended with fish.
I prefer panko to other bread crumbs by far.
* Panko crumbs (according to wikipedia)
Panko is a variety of flaky bread crumb used in Japanese cuisine as a crunchy coating for fried foods, such as tonkatsu. Panko is made from bread baked by grinding the dough to create fine slivers of crumb, yielding bread without crusts. It has a crisper, airier texture than most types of breading found in Western cuisine and resists absorbing oil or grease when fried, resulting in a lighter coating. Outside Japan, its use is becoming more popular in both Asian and non-Asian dishes: It is often used on fish and seafood and is often available in Asian markets, speciality stores, and, increasingly, in many large supermarkets.
Panko is produced worldwide, particularly in Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, Thailand, China, and Vietnam.
