Stacked Eggplant with Garlic Yogurt

Eggplant, Aubergine, Brinjal, Baigan, Badinjan….so many names for the same delicious tender fruit that holds its own in cuisines around the world.

According to Wikipedia, the eggplant has a special place in folklore. In 13th-century Italian traditional folklore, the eggplant can cause insanity. In 19th-century Egypt, insanity was said to be “more common and more violent” when the eggplant is in season in the summer.

I can totally relate to that as I can’t stop cooking with this beautiful plant.

My recipe today is a global deconstructed tribute to the Afghan Borani, combined with the use of Middle Eastern flavors with Tahini and borrowing the “crumbing” from the Italian eggplant parmesan, There is no eggs or dairy in the dish.

Stacked Eggplant with potatoes and yogurt @foodforthesoul00.com

The secret to making this light and healthy is my trusted air fryer. I lined the air fryer with parchment to prevent the food from sticking.

This will not fail you, in fact, it will delight you. Serve it as an appetizer course for your dinner party or a side dish.

Do try out my Kadoo Borani

Stacked Eggplants with Garlic Yoghurt

Servings: 4
Difficulty: moderate
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A deconstructed tribute to the Afghan Borani, combined with the use of Middle Eastern flavors with Tahini and borrowing the crumbing from the Italian eggplant parmesan

Ingredients

3-4 boiled potatoes sliced into small pieces
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Kashmir red chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp avocado oil

Eggplant

1 medium sized purple eggplant
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp water
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp fennel powder
Salt to your liking
1 cup yoghurt ( regular or plant based)
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
Salt to taste
Spray oil.
Sumac (optional)

Directions

Mix tahini with water to get a slurry going
Mix together all the dry ingredients for the eggplant coating. You may need to make more depending on the size of your eggplant.
Mix the yoghurt with garlic and salt and chill in the fridge
Dry rub the potatoes with the spice mix and oil
Air fry the potatoes at 390 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until crisp on the outside.
Slice the eggplant to about 1/4 inch slices ( not too thick)
Dip the eggplant slices in tahini or use a spoon to coat the slices and then coat with the dry mix on both sides
Place 4 -5 slices in the air fryer with a light spraying of oil and air fry at 370 for 20 minutes, turning once half way through. They should come out nicely browned and crispy.
Plate with the yoghurt on the base, stack 2 -3 eggplants, top with some fried potatoes and drizzle some yoghurt and tahini on top.
Sprinkle some sumac on the dish to add that zing.