Fried Aubergine With Honey (Berenjenas Fritas Con Miel)
This Fried Aubergine with Honey is a popular classic Spanish tapas dish also known as Berenjenas Fritas Con Miel. The deliciously crispy aubergine is drizzled with sticky honey making it the perfect blend of sweet and savoury.
Servings: 4 -6 servings-tapas style
Calories: 99kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium aubergine sliced into thin rounds or matchsticks
- 350 ml (1½ cups) dairy free milk enough to cover aubergine, I used almond.
- 50 g (¼ cup) gluten free plain flour approx, enough to coat aubergine
- 1½ inches olive oil enough to cover frying pan
- ½ teaspoon salt omit if cooking for small children
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the aubergine into thin rounds around 1cm thick.
- Soak the aubergine in a bowl of dairy free milk. Sprinkle with salt and leave to sit for at least an hour. If the aubergine is poking out of the milk mixture, pop a plate smaller than the bowl on top to push them down. (see notes)
- After an hour, drain the aubergine and pat dry with a kitchen paper towel.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium to high heat. Use enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Mix the salt and pepper with the gluten free flour in a clean bowl. Dip each aubergine slice into the flour mixture until fully coated and place the coated rounds on a plate ready for frying.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the eggplant rounds in the frying pan, until they are crisp and golden, around 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Put some kitchen towel on a plate and place the fried aubergine on the kitchen towel once cooked to allow the excess oil to drain.
- Place the aubergine on a clean plate, drizzle with some runny honey and serve!
Notes
Tips & Tricks
- Slice the rounds or matchsticks evenly to ensure that they all cook at the same time. Don't cut them too thick or you won’t get that nice crispy finish. I prefer rounds as I find you get a better crunch on the batter.
- Regular milk and flour can be used if there are no dietary requirements.
- Don’t overcrowd the aubergine pieces in the frying pan. If you do, the heat gets trapped underneath the food in the pan and will create steam. They will still cook but you won’t get that crispy, crunchy finish, so cook in batches if necessary.
- Soaking the aubergines in dairy-free milk or sparkling water helps to draw the bitterness out of the aubergine. Sprinkling salt on the aubergine, letting it sit for an hour, and then rinsing will also work, but I find soaking in dairy-free milk gives extra moisture to the inside of the aubergine. I wouldn’t recommend leaving out this step.
Nutrition
Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 357IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1mg