Tomatoes, aubergine, chilli oil mayo and leafy greens are a match made in heaven. Shove them into a bouncy, oily focaccia and you've got yourself something truly magical.
Start by dredging the aubergine. Grab 3 bowls, mix the flour with the seasonings in one bowl, the the milk and flour into another and finally the panko, sesame and seasonings into the last bowl.
One by one, place the aubergine slices first into the flour mixture, then the batter, then the seasoned panko. Place each prepared piece onto a plate and leave for 5 mins to allow the coating to bind to the aubergine.
Heat 200ml-300ml vegetable oil a large high sided frying pan. Once hot (bubbles should appear around the base of a wooden spoon when inserted into the oil) gently lower in the slices of battered aubergine.
Fry on each side for a few minutes until a deep golden brown. Remove and place in a sieve or plate lined with kitchen towel to soak up excess oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and set to one side.
Thickly the tomatoes (around 1.5cm) and season on both sides with a pinch of salt.
Mix the mayo, chilli oil and lime juice, and season to taste then prepare to assemble the sandwiches.
Slice open the bread and load each sandwich up with mayo, the fried aubergine, tomatoes, leaves and the lid of the sandwich slathered with even more chilli oil mayo. Enjoy!
