Eggplant Katsu with Coriander Yoghurt Sauce

Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, and absolutely not fried (your air fryer just gasped). This eggplant katsu brings all the crunch with none of the guilt. Served with a bright, herby yoghurt dip that’ll make you want to dunk everything in sight.

Ingredients

For the katsu:

- 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1cm rounds
- 1 cup flour (plain, wholemeal, or chickpea — go wild)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Salt, to taste
- ½ cup water (add more if needed for a smooth batter)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Olive oil, for baking

For the dipping sauce:

- ½ cup plain yoghurt
- A small bunch of coriander, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt & pepper, to taste

Method

1- Heat your oven to 190°C and line a baking tray with paper.

2- In a bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and water until smooth, you want it thick enough to coat the eggplant but not pancake-level thick.

3- Dip each eggplant slice into the batter, then coat in breadcrumbs.

4- Arrange on the tray, drizzle or brush both sides with olive oil, and bake for 10 minutes. Flip, then bake another 10 minutes until golden and crispy.

5- Mix yoghurt, coriander, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust to taste, more lime for zing, more coriander for chaos.

6- Pile up the crispy katsu, serve with that dreamy green dip, and prepare for compliments.