For the crumbed eggplant – slice the eggplant into thick circles and sprinkle generously with salt. Rest for 1 hour, or until the salt has absorbed.
For the beetroot hummus – preheat an oven to 180°C. Coat the beetroot in olive oil and roast in a lined baking tray for 20-30 minutes, or until soft. Cool, then place in a blender with a lug of olive oil, the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, tahini and lemon zest and mix to a smooth purée. Adjust the flavour balance with salt and lemon juice, and the consistency with water or more olive oil if necessary.
To cook the mushrooms – place the butter into a pan over a medium-high heat and sauté with the parsley until tender. Season to taste and set aside.
Meanwhile, rinse the eggplant thoroughly and pat dry. Crumb each piece by dusting it with flour, dipping it into the whisked eggs, then coating it with breadcrumbs. Preheat vegetable oil in pot or a deep fryer to 170°C. Working in batches, fry the eggplant for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel.
To finish – fry the halloumi in the mushroom pan for 1 minute, turning gently until golden brown on both sides. Once the halloumi is cooked, fry the eggs in the same pan to your liking.
To assemble the burgers – spread some hummus on the bottom of the buns and arrange the eggplant, halloumi, mushrooms, fried egg and salad leaves on top.
2 medium eggplants
200g mushrooms, sliced
50g butter
1 handful parsley, chopped
2 cups flour
3 eggs, whisked
2 cups breadcrumbs
vegetable oil, for frying
4 charcoal milk buns
200g halloumi, cut into strips
4 eggs
2 handfuls mixed
salad leaves
salt & pepper
beetroot hummus
olive oil
2 large beetroots, peeled & cubed
250g tinned chickpeas, washed & drained
1 tbsp tahini
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, sliced
Murray River sea salt
zest and juice of 1 lemon