So let's start with the fruity, quick tomato sauce. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic clove. Wash 1-2 small stalks of celery (optional) and slice finely. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a frying pan.
Fry the diced onion and garlic as well as sliced celery (optional) in hot oil for two minutes. Add 2 tbsp. tomato paste and 1 tbsp. paprika powder and fry briefly. Then add the chopped tomatoes and warm them up while simmering. Season the tomato sauce with rice syrup (optional), chilli flakes, a pinch of salt and the leaves of about 4 stalks of thyme. If you like, add the chopped needles from a sprig of rosemary. Season the tomato sauce with salt.
Heat the oven to 200 °C/ 392 °F fan and cover a tray with parchment paper.
Wash the eggplants, cut the ends and slice the aubergines (about 7 mm thick). Mix the olive oil and a pinch of salt and coat the slices on all sides. Place the eggplant slices on the baking paper.
Pre-bake aubergine slices for about 7-8 minutes at 200 °C/ 392 °F fan. They should be slightly soft, but not mushy. Do not leave them in the oven for too long, because they will be baked again coated in crumbs.
In the meantime, roast the pine nuts in a pan without fat until golden all around. Take care not to burn them. Then place the pine nuts on a paper towel and lightly dab the fat off. Crush the roasted pine nuts in a mortar or shred them finely in a blender.
Mix crushed pine nuts, 4 tbsp. of yeast flakes, 1 tsp. of herbs of Provence, 60 g semolina and a strong pinch of salt in a bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp. tahini, 1 tbsp. soy sauce and the plantbased milk.
First pull the pre-baked aubergines through the tahini mixture and then turn them in the coating
Put the breaded aubergines back on the parchment paper and bake them in the oven at 200°C / 392 °F fan for another 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Enjoy the spicy breaded eggplants slices fresh from the oven sprinkled with thyme leaves and serve the tomato sauce as a dip.
