I was very late to the air fryer game, as for many years I had this idea in my head that the only thing you could do with them was to make chips!
In actual fact they are more like a very versatile mini oven which you can use for cooking all sorts of foods. I bought mine just this year and use it regularly to cook halloumi, roast vegetables, seeds and nuts and fish.
It’s such a handy device to have in the kitchen. If your house is anything like mine, some days there can be a number of different variations of one meal being cooked and that’s where the air fryer comes in handy. It’s diminutive size means that it heats up more quickly than your regular oven so you waste less energy and can get food on the table sooner. They are also great for re-heating foods and it doesn’t take up a huge amount of space in the kitchen.
But are they healthier to use? It depends what you’re cooking to be honest. For many foods such as pizza or chicken nuggets there’s not much difference than using the oven but they are quicker. However if you use the air fryer for foods that you would normally fry on the pan, then yes they are a healthier option as you use far less oil.
I love my air fryer and am making a concerted effort to use it for a wider range of foods. So recently I bought myself an air fryer cookbook and am making my way through some of the recipes.
I love the idea of this dish – baked aubergine with yogurt dressing. I’ve tried a few different aubergine recipes from the oven and I’m intrigued how well this one stacks up from the air fryer.
It’s very simple and straight forward and would make a perfect mid-week dinner for me or a side dish to go with a family meal. Give it a go and let us know what you think. I plan on making it soon!
If you have an air fryer please share your favourite thing to cook in it. I’m always looking for inspiration on what to try next!
Baked Aubergine Slices with Yogurt Dressing
1 aubergine sliced 1.5cm thick
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Half a teaspoon of salt
Yogurt Dressing
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon of tahini or nut butter
100g/half cup Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of runny honey
A pinch each of salt, ground cumin and sumac
To serve
30g of rocket
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped mint
3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
Serves 2
Preheat the air fryer to 180C.
Drizzle the olive oil over each side of the aubergine slices. Sprinkle with salt. Add the aubergines to the preheated air fryer and air-fry for 10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a mini food processor or Nutribullet (alternatively, finely chop the garlic, add to a jar with the other ingredients and shake vigorously).
Serve the cooked aubergine slices on a bed of rocket drizzled with the dressing and with the mint and pomegranate seeds scattered over the top.
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