If we’re honest, most of us cycle through the same handful of vegetables week after week. They’re familiar, easy, and we know what to do with them. But there’s a whole world of vegetables sitting just outside our comfort zone, and that’s where the real fun starts.
Eating more vegetables does not have to mean boring meals or forced salads. It can be about curiosity, trying one new thing at a time, and letting a different flavour or texture shake up the way you cook. Unfamiliar vegetables often surprise us the most, especially when they’re cooked simply and well. A small change on your plate can be an easy step toward eating more plants, feeling better, and keeping everyday meals interesting.
Ready in under 30 minutes, these eggplant steaks are dangerously good. Creamy on the inside, golden and crisp on the outside, and seriously satisfying. If you didn’t know better, you would swear there was something meaty going on here. But nope. Just humble eggplant doing its thing.
Rosa Bianca is my top pick for steaks. The flesh is sweet, dense, and almost seedless, which makes for a beautiful texture once cooked. That said, a classic Italian type like Black Beauty works perfectly too, and that’s what you see in the photo.
Once you try these, eggplant might just move up your favourite veg list.
🧄 Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- A handful of chopped parsley and oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
🔪 Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the eggplants, then trim off the ends. Slice them crosswise into steaks about 1 cm thick.
- Dip each slice into the beaten egg, then coat well in breadcrumbs. Press the crumbs in gently so they stick, and tap off any excess.
- Lay all the crumbed eggplant steaks out on a board or large plate so they are ready to go.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan until it reaches about 180C, or until it sizzles when a crumb hits the surface.
- Fry the eggplant steaks for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning as needed, until golden and crisp.
- Lift out onto paper towel to drain, then season with salt and pepper while still hot
- Serve straight away, finished with a generous sprinkle of fresh herbs.
- Simple, comforting, and very hard to stop eating.