With a simple tomato sauce and garlic yoghurt, these Crispy Turkish Eggplant Chips make a healthy and warm meze dish, or a quick vegetarian supper.
Time: 35 mins
Serves: 2–4
Ingredients
- 1 large aubergine
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- bread and a green salad, to serve
Tomato sauce:
- 250ml passata
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, roughly crushed but still whole
Garlic yoghurt:
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 200ml plain Turkish or Greek-style yoghurt
- pinch salt
Method
Using a sharp knife, slice the aubergine into rounds about 5mm thick. Sprinkle with salt and toss. Put the slices in a colander over a sink or bowl to drain for 10 minutes.
Bring the tomato sauce ingredients to the boil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Season and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove the garlic. Mix the garlic yoghurt ingredients together.
Meanwhile, heat about 5cm vegetable oil in a deep saucepan until shimmering, or until a cube of day-old bread browns in 30 seconds. Dry the aubergine slices slightly on both sides with a paper towel. Deep-fry in batches, for about 3 minutes until golden brown on both sides, turning once. They should still be soft and creamy inside.
Drain the cooked slices on paper towel and keep warm. When all the aubergine slices are golden and crispy, lay them out flat on two warm plates. Drizzle over the tomato sauce and place a dollop of garlic yoghurt in the middle. Serve with bread, for mopping up juices, and a fresh green salad.
Recipe taken from Istanbul by Rebecca Seal
Step onto the streets of Istanbuland you’ll see a city of wonderful contradictions: wander out of an edgy bar and you’re likely to turn a corner and stumble across colonial-era embassy buildings and tea houses brimming with old men playing okey. It’s this fascinating culture, where east meets west, that inspired Rebecca Seal and Steven Joyce to create Istanbul, a food tour of this wonderful city. Rebecca’s easy yet delicious recipes capture the flavours of Turkey, incorporating both modern and traditional flavours. Whip up cilbir – Turkish poached eggs and garlic – for a lazy Sunday breakfast, or aubergines stuffed with lamb for a satisfying lunch. Learn about the key Turkish ingredients that are not only easy to find but will make your dishes taste authentic. Set against the backdrop of Steven’s stunning food and travel photography, Istanbul is a colourful and exciting gastronomical jaunt around one of the world’s most fascinating cities.
You can purchase Istanbul at cooked.com.
Published by Hardie Grant Books.
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