Oriental-style eggplant parmigiana

Wash, clean and slice the eggplants into 5–7 mm slices. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt. After one hour, rinse them to remove excess salt and pat them dry with paper towels.

Pan-fry them in a hot pan, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

Finely chop the basil, parsley, chili, ginger, and garlic.

Pour the tomato purée into a large bowl and add the chopped ingredients, turmeric, cumin, 3–4 pinches of salt, and olive oil. Mix everything together until you reach your preferred flavor.

Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and place it in a bowl with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.

Grate the cheese and the bread coarsely, keeping them separate so you can add them layer by layer.

Take a baking dish about 8 cm deep. Spread a bit of tomato sauce on the bottom, then make a layer of eggplants. Add another layer of sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella, Grana cheese, and breadcrumbs. Repeat the sequence up to 3 more times (eggplants, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Grana, breadcrumbs). On the final layer, before baking, add a generous amount of Grana and drizzle olive oil on top in a crisscross pattern.

Before baking, drizzle more olive oil over the top and add the remaining herb mix (“wash, clean…”).

Bake covered in the middle of the oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 40 minutes. Then uncover and continue baking for another 15–20 minutes at 210°C (410°F).

Chef Alessio’s notes:
A) If baking immediately after assembling, allow the oven to fully preheat, then start counting the 40 minutes only 15 minutes after turning it on.
B) If baking the next day, remove the dish from the fridge at least 2 hours before, then follow the same baking instructions.

If you still have any questions, feel free to write to us.

Enjoy your parmigiana… with an oriental twist!