Golden, crunchy, and luxuriously rich, this eggplant schnitzel is a schnitty lover’s dream. From the crisp, flaky coating to the soft, smoky eggplant and velvety mushroom sauce — it’s perfectly indulgent and a little bit fancy. Just add a squeeze of lemon, and enjoy!
You will need
Serves 2
- 1 large eggplant
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt and pepper to taste
The Sauce:
- 20ml vegetable oil
- 25g morel mushrooms
- 25g dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
- 5cm piece of kombu
- Reserved eggplant skin from Step 2
- 25ml white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 50g Flora plant-based cream
To serve:
- half a lemon and a salad on the side
Recipe: Simon Toohey
Directions
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Step 1
Pierce the eggplant with a skewer to allow it to cook evenly, then place it on a baking tray and roast in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes, or until it has softened, collapsed, and is tender to the touch. Transfer the roasted eggplant to a bowl and cover it with a cloth to help loosen the skin for easy removal.
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Step 2
Once cool enough to touch, peel the skin from the flesh (and keep the skin for the stock!). Press gently to flatten.
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Step 3
Mix together the flour, water, and a pinch each of salt and pepper, to make a paste. Then lay the eggplant into it. Take it out and place it in another container or plate with the breadcrumbs.
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Step 4
Place the eggplant in a deep fryer with vegetable oil at 180°C until golden. Alternatively, spray with oil and put in the air fryer or oven at 180°C until golden.
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Step 5
For the sauce, make the stock by adding the mushrooms, kombu, and eggplant skin to a small pan with 1L water. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, remove the kombu and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
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Step 6
Strain the stock liquid into a frying pan. Discard the eggplant flesh, then separate out the morels and shiitake and slice them long ways. Set all mushrooms aside.
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Step 7
Add the white wine vinegar and capers to the stock liquid. Then add back in all the mushrooms, and reduce the amount of liquid left to only about 50ml (you want a nice gravy-like consistency).
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Step 8
Season with salt, add the cream, and turn the heat to very low while you stir to combine. Once warm again, remove from the heat.
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Step 9
Slice your fried eggplant in half (leaving the stem in tact on both halves) and plate up each half of the eggplant with a generous serve of sauce.
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Step 10
Season with one more sprinkle of salt. Garnish with lemon and serve alongside a side salad.
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Recipe: Simon Toohey
