Soda Battered Eggplant w/ Carrot Chips, Sprout Salad + Fresh Pickle

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To kick off the new site I am sharing a favourite recipe from my book Going Veggie. This recipe for soda battered eggplant has to be one of my favourite recipe creations, yep I love it!! Crispy battered eggplant, fresh pickle and sweet little roasted carrots, seriously, if you’re serious about the deliciousness of veggies, there is so much to love!! Kind of a take on tempura and kind of a take on battered fish and chips, this vegan recipe is crispy, fresh and packed with veggie power.

Soda Battered Eggplant w/ Carrot Chips, Sprout Salad + Fresh Pickle

Preparation time: 55 minutes // Serves 4

|| Tips: The pickle, batter, and sprout salad can all be made ahead of time. The carrot chips and soda battered aubergine are best served immediately while still hot and crunchy. Make sure to get your oil nice and hot before adding the strips of battered eggplant and fry only one or two pieces at a time for the best results. ||

Fresh Cucumber Pickle

• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbs olive oil
• ½ tsp dill seeds

First, prepare the pickle, by slicing the cucumber in half lengthways and then very thinly slicing. Also, slice the lemon in half lengthways, before deseeding and finely dicing one half (reserving the other half for use later).

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium/low heat. Add the dill seeds and continue to heat until they begin to pop and crackle. Add the prepared cucumber and lemon and toss over a medium heat for just one minute.

Remove from the heat and squeeze over the juice of the remaining half a lemon. Set aside to cool before placing in the refrigerator to chill.

Just before serving pour any excess liquid off the pickles and place in a serving dish.

Soda Battered Aubergine

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 cup chilled soda water (sparkling water)
• 3-4 Japanese eggplant (aubergine)
• peanut or sunflower oil for deep frying

Prepare the soda batter by shifting the flour and baking powder into a big mixing bowl. Add the turmeric and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Pour over the soda water and whisk until smooth. Pop in the fridge and chill while you prepare the sprout salad and carrot chips.

Slice the aubergines lengthways into strip around ½ inch (1.5cm) thick. Place the aubergine strips onto absorbent paper and sprinkle over a few pinches of salt flakes. Leave for a few minutes until the aubergines begin to sweat. Turn over and repeat on the other side, patting the aubergine strips dry after a few more minutes and pricking the skins with a fork.

To deep-fry the aubergine, pour your oil into a god-sized deep pot up to a depth of around 6 inches (15cm) and heat over a high heat until the surface begins to shimmer.

Remove the batter from the refrigerator and whisk again, quickly, until smooth. Working with one piece at a time, dip a strip of prepared aubergine into the batter. Allow the excess to drip off, before carefully sliding into the hot oil.

The batter should quickly begin to sizzle and golden. Fry for one minute before turning to fry on the other side for just one more minute. Remove with a slotted ladle and place on absorbent paper. Keep warm while you deep-fry the remaining pieces.

Serve the warm soda battered aubergine and hot carrot chips accompanied by the sprout salad and fresh pickle.

Carrot Chips 

• 4 large carrots, diced into ½cm rounds (approx. 4 cups)
• small bunch fresh thyme
• 2 tbs olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F

Place two good-sized baking trays in the oven to pre-heat for 3-4 minutes.

Carefully remove the pre-heated trays from the oven and line with baking paper. Arrange the rounds of carrot in a single layer over the two baking trays. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over fresh thyme, with salt flakes and cracked pepper to taste.

Place in the hot oven, roasting for 30 minuets until carrots are golden and crisp.

Sprout Salad 

• 2 cups beans sprouts
• 2 cups snow pea sprouts
• 1 cup legume sprouts (mung, chickpea, lentil)
• 1½ tbs lemon juice
• 3 tbs olive oil
• tiny drizzle of honey or agave nectar

Prepare the sprout salad by roughly dicing the tops of the snow pea sprouts and finely dicing the stalks. Add these along with the bean and legume spouts to a large serving bowl. Toss with you hands to combine.

Make the sprout salad dressing by adding all the lemon juice, olive oil and honey, with salt flakes and cracked pepper to taste, to a screw top jar and shaking until well combined. Place both the salad and dressing into the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Before serving shake the sprout salad dressing again and then pour over the sprouts, tossing roughly to combine.

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