Pan-Fried Eggplant
Warren Buffet once said “the chains of habit are too light to be felt till they are too heavy to be broken“, and boy was he right!
I didn’t even realize I was forming a habit in those early days. It started off with 15 minutes here and 15 minutes; before I knew it, I was going at it for hours! And now it’s really hard to stop. Y’all, I am talking about TV-watching.
Before my daughter came along, I wasn’t into TV that much. I had an old TV, and it stayed on as background noise while I was pottering around. Then my daughter came along and when she was old enough, we started watching 15 minutes or so of Barney from time to time. As time went by, she would ask me to join her on the couch when she moved on to The Wiggles, Lizzie McGuire, and One Tree Hill. Then, last fall, she talked me into watching all 5 glorious seasons of Friday Night Lights in little less than 2 months!
This summer, she has me hooked on Grey’s Anatomy! I don’t see any real surgeries happening, but a bunch of people poking around at fake organs; I don’t get why McSteamy is even remotely steamy; I don’t understand how things can run so smoothly if all residents were dating their attending surgeons; but yet, I show up, next to her, on that couch! My daughter has a way of grabbing my heart and making me feed habits that need to be changed. So, I go along. I make almond-coated, pan-fried, eggplant to feed us and join her on the couch because this is her “Summer Adventure”.
This eggplant came together in a cinch. With a quick coating of spices and yogurt and a smattering of Blue Diamond Salt & Vinegar Almonds, this appetizer was a few minutes from being consumed. While pan frying it made the eggplant lose some of its almond coating; you could choose to bake it, so the almond coating stays intact.
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This “Flavor Your Adventure” post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. For more snack ideas to “Flavor Your Adventure” this summer, visit Blue Diamond Almonds on Facebook • Twitter • Instagram
As always, all opinions and recipe are my own.
Thank you so very much for supporting the brands that keep this American-SriLankan Runnin!
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 1 5.3 oz container of Greek Yogurt
- 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 can Blue Diamond Salt and Vinegar Almonds
- Oil of choice
Instructions
- Slice eggplant into about 1/4 inch slices
- Mix yogurt, curry powder, cayenne, alt and lime and set aside
- Place enough oil to cover the bottom of a pan and set it on the stove on a medium flame
- As it heats up, crush almonds (this can be done in a food processor for a more uniform coating, or you can place the almonds in a plastic bag and use a hammer or rolling pin and have at it)
- Spread spiced yogurt dip on each side of the slices of eggplant
- Coat with the almond mixture
- And, when oil is hot, fry eggplant slices for about 2-3 minutes on each side
- Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with parsley and crushed pepper flakes and enjoy
The only way I know how to cook eggplant is to bread it and bake it as eggplant parmesan! I needed some new recipes to add to my collection!
Hey – breading and baking sounds pretty fabulous to me, Emily! 🙂
Hehe, I totally hear you–the minutes creep up and ADD up! We just started marathoning HIMYM and oh lordie, it’s a long couch trip. So I totally understand. Wouldn’t mind whipping up this eggplant and snuggling with it on the couch, though 😉
Haha – Ala – appetizers seem to fuel the marathons eh?! Thanks so much lady!
That’s a great quote from Warren Buffet – certainly rings true. I love eggplant when it’s cooked well and this looks absolutely perfect, Shashi!
Thanks so much Marissa! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I happen to love eggplant and have a ton of it growing in my garden. 🙂 These look delicious. Gorgeous photos too!!! I will try it with full fat coconut milk instead of yogurt. Yum!
Thanks so much Jenn! I m not sure if the coconut milk alone will help the almonds stick on – but I guess if you pulsed the almonds in a food processor it could work? Would love to know how it turns out…
I actually use coconut milk a lot to adhere breading and it works like magic!!
Well – I learned something new today! I gotta try using coconut milk net time! Thanks Jenn!
Eggplant dishes are such a childhood food for me! Eggplant parm would be my favorite kind, haha, but now of course, I don’t eat that so I use eggplant much more “modernly” 😉
I grew up on it too – my mom would saute strips of it in oil and spices – it used to be so good!
I’m not a huge eggplant fan but my dad is. I’m going to visit him in the next few weeks and with his garden harvest, looks like I have to be a great daughter and cook this up for him!
You are indeed a GREAT daughter Pamela! Hey – you could use some of your tomatoes to make a sauce to go with this?
haha, Grey’s Anatomy used to be my fave show. . I loved McSteamy . . you’ll like him more later. . keep watching. . LOVE this pan fried eggplant!!!! and YES to the Blue Diamond Salt and Vinegar Almonds!!! love those!
Haha Alice – I’ll keep watching – but so far I am team McDreamy – those eyes…. 🙂
Love eggplants! Definitely need to try this recipe! I’m not someone who follows Greys Anatomy, BUT I get addicted to it once I watch one episode, and once went through an entire season in one day! 😀
An entire season in one day? Now my mind is blown! 🙂
Btw – thanks Dini
We LOVE watching Grey’s Anatomy and finished all 11 seasons :-)) These eggplant slices look amazing!
We are on season 6 still! Thanks so much Angie!
I LOVE eggplant but have never thought to pan fry it… usually I just roast it! Have to try this recipe soon, especially with that sauce! Yum!
Thanks so much Cassie!
eggplant is my favorite food, no joke! Sometimes I bread it and pan fry it but I NEED to try this with the salt and vinegar almonds! Pinning 🙂
Thanks so much! Breading it would make for a more consistent crust – but the almonds made for a nice textural change
Yum! And YAY for Friday Night Lights! If you liked that you’ll probably love Parenthood too 🙂
I loved Friday Nigh Lights!!! I am definitely gonna have to check out Parenthood
Eggpant is literally one of my favorite vegetables! I have never tried pan frying it though and these pictures are making my mouth water!
Thanks so much Selena! Pan frying it made it so soft…slightly different from roasted eggplant
I love eggplant, and this is a new one for sure. Yum yum!
Thanks so much Katie
haha oh my gosh! My sister was obsessed with Lizzie McGuire! Completely forgot about that show!
This eggplant looks so so good! I am always looking for new ways to use eggplant!
UGH – Ashley, I hate to admit this – but I quite enjoyed watching Lizzie McGuire myself when my daughter went through her phase! 🙂
Thanks & I Hope you have a wonderful weekend
We do the same thing, Shashi! We get hooked on various shows and binge watch them on weekends to relax. But here’s the thing. I think part of the appeal is the ability to spend time together in a relaxed manner. If that happens to be a favorite tv show at night, then so be it! All I know is I really want this eggplant. We have some eggplants in our garden that will be ready to be picked soon, and I have some Blue Diamond almonds in the cupboard. I think I know what dinner next week will be! 🙂
You are so right David – I love hanging out with Lil Shashi and so far, she still seems to enjoy hanging out with me, though I think sometimes, she enjoys it more when I get hooked on a show she introduces me too 🙂
Btw – thanks bunches!
Hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!