Eggplant, brinjal, aubergine – however you choose to call it, for most, the first item that comes to mind is a bitter, oily, soggy mess that is not so great. But – does it have to be that way? Cooked properly, eggplant is tasty, healthy and nutricious.
The trick to cooking these chips properly is to slice the eggplant very thinly, then gently brush them with a little chimichurri oil, an olive oil and chimichurri spice on both sides. As eggplant soaks up all the oil, be very sparing with this. Often, I just brush my tray and place the eggplant on top. Sprinkle some more dried chimichurri spice and grill.
Eggplant Chips
Course: Snacks, PicnicCuisine: International, Middle-Eastern, LebaneseDifficulty: Easy2
Portions20
minutes20
minutes157
kcal40
minutesEggplant chips are flavourful, crunchy, savoury, herby and healthy. This approach makes thin chips that absorbs virtually no oil, perfect for a diet.
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants
1 tablespoon chimichurri mix
1 pinch salt flakes
spray and bake / cook, preferably olive oil based. Or 2 tablespoon olive oil.
Directions
- Preheat grill to highest setting
- Cover an oven tray with foil and use the spray and cook to coat the foil. Be generous as any non-coated spot will cause the eggplant to stick. If using olive oil, mix a tablespoon of my chimichurri spice in the olive oil and spread this on the foil by hand. Start with 1 tablespoon
- Carefully slice the eggplant into thin slices or strips. The thinner the better. And arrange on the tray as a single layer
- If using the spray and cook, spray the eggplant. If using olive oil, turn them over now. This will give a bit of crispiness without too much oil
- Place under the grill in the middle of the oven – not too high or it will burn without cooking, not too low or it will not crisp up
- Let the eggplant cook for 5-10 minutes, keeping an eye out. They will go golden brown – take them out. Turn them over carefully and put them back in the oven for a bit less long. If you want, spray and cook them again
- Once both sides are golden brown, taken them out of the oven and immediately sprinkle the chimichurri herbs and the salt. Doing this while they are hot helps the herbs and salt to stick.
