Fried Eggplants with Honey

This is a dish that we tasted in Cordoba, in the South of Spain. It is served with a cold, tomato and bread puree, called Salmorejo. See recipe here which I shared last week.

The original version of the dish was sprinkled with poppy seeds. But since this is a banned ingredient in Singapore, I replicated the dish sans poppy seeds.

Here are the eggplants, served with Salmorejo, extra hard boiled eggs, chopped jamon and bread. Yummy!

FRIED EGGPLANTS WITH HONEY
Best served with Salmorejo (Cold Tomato & Bread Puree)

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (I used the Japanese variety, which are fatter and rounder, for bigger slices)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt + extra for sprinkling on the eggplant slices
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
Oil for deep frying
Honey to drizzle

Procedure:

1.  Cut the eggplants into "coins," each about 3 mm in thickness.

2. Lay them on a baking sheet, sprinkling salt on both sides, to make them "sweat." Set aside for at least an hour. After that, wipe with paper towel.

3.  In the meantime, prepare the dredging mix by mixing together the flour, salt, pepper, paprika and chili flakes in a plastic or Ziplock bag. Close the bag and shake to mix it well.

4.  Heat a frying pan with oil enough to cover each eggplant slice. I used my cast iron pan for this purpose. Heat the oil to perfect frying temperature, 350 to 375F. Drop 2 to 3 eggplant slices into the dredging mix and shake until each piece is well coated. Get each slice, holding only the edge, and shake off excess flour.

5. Drop the coated eggplant slices into the hot oil, one by one. Make sure they are not touching each other. Fry until golden brown; turn to fry the other side.

6. Once fried, drain on a net or on top of a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Assemble the slices on a plate and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Serve hot with cold Salmorejo.