Eggplant fritters with wild honey and cinnamon sugar

It's not that common in Western cooking to mix sweet and savoury but the soft texture and mild flavour of eggplant makes it surprisingly good for a sweet-savoury mashup.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• 3-4 small eggplants, cut into 2 cm rounds
• Raw wild runny honey, for drizzling
• 2 tbsp cinnamon sugar
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

Tempura batter

• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 250 ml (1 cup) ice cold soda water, approximately

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan to 170°C -180°C.

2. Meanwhile, for the batter, combine the flour and baking powder in a large bowl and create a small well in the centre. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and soda water until well combined. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients- you may need to add a little more water if the batter is too thick.

3. Working in batches, dip the eggplant slices into the batter ensuring they are well coated. Allow the excess to drain off then fry in the hot oil for 3-4 minutes until golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

To serve, place the eggplant slices in serving bowls, drizzle with honey and top with a dusting of the sugars.

Ainsley Harriott explores Australia's best regional produce markets in the brand-new season of Ainsley's Australian Market Menu on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.