Homemade Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients

For fried eggplant:
• 1 medium eggplant/Baingan/Aubergine/Brinjal
• All-purpose flour/maida
• Milk for dipping the eggplant slices
• 2 cups of dried bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes (or mixture of both)
• 1 teaspoon Chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon Dried Italian seasoning
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying
For Marinara Sauce:
• 4 large tomatoes
• 3 to 4 green chillies/jalapenos
• 2 cups of readymade tomato puree
• ½ cup red onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated
• ¼ cup of finely chopped bell pepper/capsicum
• ½ cup of finely chopped mushrooms
• ½ teaspoon crushed red chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
Toppings:
• 1 to 2 cups grated mozzarella
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Few basil leaves
• Red chilli flakes

Instructions

To make the fried eggplant:
1. Wash and slice the eggplant into slices (about ¼ inch to ½ inch slices).
2. Lay them on a baking sheet or pan.
3. Sprinkle both the sides with salt evenly. Leave in pan to release the moisture, for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the breading mixture:
5. Crush cornflakes in a small blender.
6. In a 3 separate bowls, place some flour, milk and breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes (I had some breadcrumbs leftover from the pinwheel sandwiches I had make earlier so I mixed them with crushed cornflakes).
7. Stir about 1 teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes and ½ teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning into the cornflakes or breadcrumbs.
8. Pat dry the eggplant slices with a tissue paper or paper towel to remove excess moisture.
9. Heat some oil for deep frying.
10. Working one at a time, dip the slices first in flour, then milk and then coat evenly with the cornflakes-breadcrumbs mixture; make sure both the sides of the slices are well coated.
11. Once again, dip in milk and breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly. If you want a thicker crust for the eggplant bites, dip more time in milk and breadcrumb mixture.
12. Place in a separate plate.
13. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the coated and breaded eggplant slices in batches of 3 till golden brown, flipping over in between.
14. Place in a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
To make the marinara sauce:
15. Wash tomatoes, chop them roughly and blend along with green chillies to a fine paste. Keep aside.
16. Finely chop onions, bell pepper and mushrooms.
17. Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan.
18. Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions. Sauté on medium high heat till the onions are soft and slightly browned.
19. Add chopped garlic and fry again for a few seconds.
20. Stir in chopped mushrooms and bell pepper and sauté again for about 1 to 2 minutes.
21. Add the pureed tomatoes and green chillies along with readymade tomato puree.
22. Add the Italian seasoning, chilly flakes, black pepper, salt to taste and sugar and mix well.
23. Bring to a boil on high and once it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer on medium low for about 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce reduces and becomes slightly thick.
24. Once you get the consistency you want, remove from heat.
25. Assembling individual servings of eggplant Parmesan:
26. Place a few slices of eggplant bites on a microwave safe plate.
27. Spoon homemade marinara sauce over the eggplant bites; pour as much or as little as you want.
28. Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese on top.
29. Bake in a microwave for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.
30. Garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately with additional topping of Parmesan cheese and chilli flakes.
31. You can also bake these in a convection oven.
32. Layer sauce, eggplant bites and mozzarella cheese in a baking pan; repeat with another layer of sauce, eggplant and cheese on top. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling.
33. Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting and serving with additional toppings.