My favourite food eggplant

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning*
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• dash ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

Directions for fried eggplant
Peel eggplant; cut in strips about 1/2-inch wide and 3 inches in length. Place eggplant strips in a large bowl, cover with water and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Let soak 1 hour; drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, cayenne, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Add beaten eggs, milk, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Beat until smooth. Heat oil over medium heat until hot. If deep-frying, heat to about 365°. Dip dry eggplant strips in batter, let excess batter drip off; fry eggplant strips in batches in hot oil until fried eggplant is golden brown. Fried eggplant strips serve 4 to 6.

*You may substitute equal parts dried crumbled oregano, basil, marjoram, and rosemary for the Italian seasoning in the fried eggplant batter.