Eggplant schnitzel

These schnitzels are really gorgeous; crunchy, crispy coating and silky, soft eggplant inside. So, so delicious to eat. If there is anyone if your family who doesn't like eggplant, give them these and you might find they are converted. My grandmother used to make these when I was a child, so I have some nice memories of eating these too.

What you'll need

Makes 12 - 16 pieces

2 large eggplants, thickly sliced into about 6 or 8 round pieces each.
1/2 cup plain flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 cups breadcrumbs
1L vegetable oil for frying

Lemon wedges and salt to serve

What to do

Set up your crumbing station. Usually I use large rectangle Tupperware or plastic dishes. There is less mess that way.  You will need one large container for the flour, a shallow flat dish for the egg/milk mixture and a large plastic container for the crumbs.

Coat one slice of eggplant in flour, dust off by tapping carefully. You can use your fingers or you can use a fork to handle the eggplant. Now put the slice into the milk/egg mixture and coat completely, then place quickly into the crumbs. Cover the eggplant slice in the crumbs and press with the flat of your hand, making sure all surfaces of the eggplant are covered. Place onto a plate or into a container and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.

Set aside until you are ready to cook the eggplant.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Heat for about 5 minutes. Check to see if the oil is hot enough of pinching off a small bit of crumb and putting it into the oil. If the crumb sizzles and starts to get golden within a minute, then the oil is hot enough. If it is too hot, remove the pan from the heat for a minute or two to let the oil to cool down.

Place four or five pieces of eggplant into the oil. Cook until golden on one side then turn carefully and cook the other side. Once golden all over, remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
Cook the remaining eggplant as above.

Once all cooked, serve to the table with a sprinkle of salt and lemon wedges. This can be eaten as a main dish or a side dish with meat or seafood.