Crispy fried aubergine, tamarind sauce & crunchy peanuts with a poached egg

Panko coated aubergine slices stacked and topped with lip smacking tamarind sauce, crunchy roasted peanuts and rich Clarence Court poached hen eggs. Textures play an important role in this delicious all day brunch dish – it’s a sensory exploration for the palate!

PREP TIME: 40 minutes (including salting time)

COOK TIME: 20 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large aubergine

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons plain flour

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A pinch of chilli powder

2 Clarence Court hen eggs, beaten

100g panko breadcrumbs

Rapeseed oil, for deep fat frying

2 tablespoons tamarind sauce

Small handful of roasted peanuts

4 Clarence Court hen eggs, for poaching

2 spring onions, trimmed

A few sprigs of fresh coriander, leaves picked

Method:

1. Slice the aubergine into rounds about 1.5cm thick and place them into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle over the sea salt and toss to coat. Allow the slices to sit for 20 minutes and draw the moisture out.

2. Meanwhile, spoon the flour onto a dinner plate, season, add the chilli powder and mix together. In a wide, shallow bowl, add the beaten eggs and tip the breadcrumbs on to another plate. Prepare a final, empty plate, ready to hold the breadcrumbed aubergine slices.

3. Drain any excess liquid from the salted aubergine, then coat the individual slices well in seasoned flour, tapping to remove any excess. Dip the slices into the beaten egg, turning to make sure each is well coated, then place into the breadcrumbs. Keep turning and patting over the breadcrumbs to ensure an even coating. Place the finished slice onto the clean plate and repeat with the remaining slices until they are all nicely coated.

4. Preheat the oven to 100C/80C fan, in preparation for warming the aubergine later.

5. Add 10 cm of frying oil to a large, deep frying pan, then place on a medium heat and allow it to come up to 180C gradually. If necessary, use a heat-safe thermometer to check the temperature of the oil.

6. When the oil is hot enough, carefully fry the aubergine slices in batches, turning as needed, until golden brown and cooked through. This will take about 4 minutes and once they are ready, remove the slices with a spider/slotted spoon and lay on a lined tray and place into an oven to keep warm. Repeat the frying stage with the remaining slices until they are all cooked and deliciously golden.

7. Spoon the tamarind sauce into a small bowl and give a little mix to ensure it is incorporated together. Chop the peanuts and place into another bowl, then slice the spring onion.

8. Poach the hens eggs to your liking.

9. To serve, take two plates and arrange a crispy stack of aubergine slices on each.

10. Drizzle over the tamarind sauce and add 2 perfectly poached eggs per plate. Scatter over the chopped peanuts, spring onion and coriander leaves. Serve and enjoy!

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