Salt and Pepper Fried Aubergine
Inspired by Filipino Tortang Talong, but using a cornflour instead of egg makes this vegan and a little crispy. Everything crispy is better with a salt and white pepper spice mix.
Roasted until soft, dredged in cornflour and white pepper, and crisped up in chilli oil. It’s smoky, salty, crispy on the outside, melty in the middle — and the tahini-lime sauce underneath pulls it all together. Eat it for lunch, have it as a starter for a dinner party, or as a shared dish served family style.
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- Juice of ½ lime
- Splash of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- Salt, to taste
- Spring onion, finely sliced
- Oil from Crunchy Spice (or neutral oil for frying)
- Crunchy Spice, to serve
Method
- Roast the whole aubergine at 180°C for 30 minutes until completely soft.
- While roasting, prep your sauce: mix minced garlic, tahini, lime juice, and soy sauce until smooth and creamy.
- Slice spring onion and set aside for garnish.
- Once roasted, let aubergine cool slightly. Peel off the skin but leave the top intact.
- Mix cornflour, white pepper, and salt in a shallow bowl.
- Gently dredge the aubergine in the flour mixture, keeping it whole.
- Heat a generous splash of oil from Crunchy Spice in a pan over medium heat.
- Pan-fry the aubergine on all sides until golden and crispy.
- To serve: spoon sauce onto a plate, place the aubergine on top, then garnish with spring onions and Crunchy Spice.