Aubergine Schnitzel

This is loved by all the family, they don‘t miss the chicken one bit! A crisp and crunchy coating that you can adapt by adding garlic, lemon zest, fresh herbs or spices. I like to serve mine with this fennel slaw, but regular coleslaw works well to. You could also serve it with spaghetti in a tomato sauce, new potatoes, mash and vegetables. Whatever works for you or any fussy eaters, It‘s a very versatile recipe.

SERVES:
4

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

Aubergine Schnitzel

2 -4 Aubergine depending on their size.
1 ½ cups Gram Flour
150g panko crumbs
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic granules
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ nutritional yeast (optional)
Good grind of black pepper
Groundnut or sunflower oil

Fennel Slaw

2 fennel bulbs sliced as thinly as possible. Reserve the fennel fronds if any.
4-6 tbs veganise (vegan Mayo)
1 tbs whole grain mustard
2 tbs capers roughly chopped
Small handful roughly chopped parsley
Squeeze lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

First prepare the crispy coating. Add the gram flour to a bowl and a gradually add in water until you get the thickness of a batter, you don‘t want it too runny. Add in 1 tsp salt a good grind of pepper and set aside.
In a separate bowl combine the panko crumbs, 1 tsp salt, garlic granules, lemon zest, nutritional yeast, and a good grind of black pepper, set aside.
Add all the Fennel slaw ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined and the fennel is well coated. taste for seasoning and adjust. I suggested 4-6 tbs as it depends on the size of your fennel and if you have a preference for lots of mayo.
Slice your aubergine length ways into no more than 1cm thick slices. You do not want your slices too thick as they will not cook through.
Have a production line ready, start with a plate of aubergine slices, then the batter, followed by the crumb and finishing with another plate. Also cover a baking sheet with kitchen towel, ready to drain your slices after cooking.
Take a slice of aubergine and coat in the batter, let the excess drip off and place in the bowl of crumbs and coat fully, then set aside on the plate. Continue until all the slices are coated, you want about 2-3 slices per person depending on the size of aubergine.
Take a deep-frying pan or I like to use a wok and fill with approx. 1 inch of oil. Heat the oil on quite a high heat but not max. test its hot enough by dropping in a piece of crumb or bread, it should sizzle and start to brown gradually.
When the oil is ready add in 2-3 slices of coated aubergine at a time and cook until golden on all sides, turning after a couple of minutes. If they are turning dark quickly turn the heat down, you want to allow them to cook through and not burn. Once ready place on the kitchen towel to drain and continue until all the slices are done.
Serve with green salad, Fennel Slaw and some new potatoes, or anyway you like.