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| warm and crispy: eggplant slices in a light batter drizzled with pomegranate molasses |
Eggplant slices soaked in milk? Never heard of it. An extension of soaking in water to remove their natural bitterness? Maybe.
But then ‘the eggplant is a mysterious playmate’ as I read in Manolo’s Food Blog, a fair comment I would say. This is actually a Spanish recipe which is why I haven’t translated the name into Turkish. It’s a slightly different take on the usual fried patlıcan in garlic yogurt that we make here and absolutely yummy!
The recipe, said Greg, whom I met a few days ago with his wife while having coffee with Carol in her nearby village, is actually from Claudia Roden, not just my namesake but the doyenne of Middle Eastern cooking. The idea was novel but everyone said the resulting fritters were delicious: a perfect combination of crunchy exterior with soft interior. The secret is in the temperature of the oil: don’t be scared of frying, just make sure the oil is hot enough. Make sure it sizzles when you pop your veggie or whatever in otherwise it will turn out soggy.
Summer in Turkey brings an avalanche of eggplants so we’re always on the look-out for new ways to serve them. Once home, I searched for the actual recipe on the internet and sure enough, there it was followed by some enthusiastic comments! I had some eggplants handy and nothing to lose.
Ingredients for Eggplant Fritters with Honey
from Claudia Roden’s ‘The Food of Spain’
2 long eggplants/patlıcan (about 1.25lbs), peeled in stripes and sliced into rounds
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| they discolour very quickly but don’t worry |
2 cups whole milk
Flour for dredging
Salt to taste
Olive oil or sunflower oil for frying
Orange blossom honey or other aromatic honey, to taste. I actually used pomegranate molasses/nar ekşisi which tasted fabulous
Method
· Soak the eggplant slices in the milk for one hour (this will minimize the absorption of oil). Drain and dredge with flour. Heat a finger of oil in a frying pan and fry carefully on both sides till golden honey brown.
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| soaking in milk |
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| dredging in flour |
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| ……and frying, first one side then the other |
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| …like this |
· Lay on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil before transferring to a plate. Add salt to taste and drizzle with honey or pomegranate molasses.
· Serve these crispy little rounds warm and enjoy!! I have already made these a second time!
Afiyet olsun!
This recipe sounds lovely and so simple. I wondered why they are just dipped in flour and not batter as you would for sliced potatoes. I'll certainly try it.
i love this recipe. i never would have thought of combing the two! but, i have to tell you, this morning i found pomegranate molasses. OMG…i am in heaven!!! this is some of the most magnificent stuff i have ever tasted. how have i lived to be 60 without this in my life? i will never be without this in my life again. they will bury me with a bottle of it! i also found 2 types of pureed eggplant which i will be trying soon. thank you so much for introducing me to so many new wonderful foods!
Hey, you star!! Well done for tracking down the pom molasses – what a rave review!!!Now you know what I am talking about …. you are great because you are so keen! I wish you many more happy discoveries!
I need to try this. I've often done something similar with courgettes (minus the honey or nar) but aubergines are my favourite vegetable and new ways to cook them are welcome. Claudia Roden's sweet and sour aubergines are a staple in our house…
I'll have to check that out, Omen …
What a wonderful recipe and perfect timing since my aunt just gave me a few eggplants from her garden. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Just when you think you know every single way to cook an aubergine….Can't wait to get home to try this out.
merhaba Claudia;) never tried patlican with honey – though when you think we make aubergine jam, this is no surprise, thanks for sharing!
it was lovely to talk over the phone the other day:) here is a wish to meet up soon!
I was delighted to speak to you too and am looking forward to hearing how the class went! We'll meet up one of these days, I am sure ..
I have always thought that any of Claudia Roden's recipes is bound to be a success. Thanks for this one. The substitution of nar ekşisi is inspired. BTW, speaking of eggplants, I wowed my guests last night with your Hünkar beğindi.
This is perfect timing! I have an abundance of eggplants coming from my father-in-law's garden and I'm always looking for different ways to cook it. I never would have thought of honey! 🙂
This recipe is great…..I'll have to whip this up for my husband. Every time I make zucchini fritters my husband drizzles honey over them and me and my daughter thought he was going strange or didn't like the fritters and was drowning it with honey….but he said that is how they eat it there sometimes.
Thanks again for sharing one of your recipes…..and actually this makes me feel better now when my husband drizzles honey over the fritters.
Have a great day. 🙂
Hi Erica! I know exactly what you mean about the husbands and their honey: mine dips his sigara boreks in the stuff, for example! Thanks to you too for another of your super comments!
By the way, what is a "finger of oil"?
I am so glad you like my recipes and try them out too! By a finger of oil, I mean the depth of oil in the pan shouldn't be very deep, just an inch really, like the width of your finger :))
Thanks. That was a new one on me, in the same category as pinch, dab, dollop, etc. And, by the way, since I had already guessed about how much oil that was, I wowed my guests last night with the eggplant fritters!