This is probably the fourth eggplant recipe on the blog and one would think it is the only vegetable I cook 🙂 It just so happens that I find eggplant to be an extremely versatile vegetable that lends itself beautifully to experimentation.
This dish is quite similar to the Bengali Begun Bhaja, where the slices of eggplant are coated in a simple spice mix and sometimes rice flour and then pan-fried. What results is a spicy dish with a crisp exterior and soft, butter-like interior.
I had originially started out wanting to replicate a dish I had at my mother’s friends place. It was a simple dish and I remember standing in the kitchen while Aunty deftly dredged the eggplant slices in a masala powder and then fried them crisp on the tawa. With some fresh rotis and dal, a meal I still remember fondly.
I added a bit of a twist to it by giving it a second coating of some gram flour and almond flour and I love the end result. It tastes quite like a pakora and the almond flour gives it a nice texture. Letting the slices rest after coating them with the masala releases some of the moisture and that helps the gram flour mixture stick to the slices.
It’s a simple but delicious dish and will be at home as a side for an everyday meal or dolled up, on a party table.
Spicy Sliced Egggplant
Print Recipe
1 medium eggplant
Masala:
1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp red chili powder
1 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1/2 tsp turmeric
oil for pan-frying
salt to taste
Coating:
1/3 cup gram flour (besan)
1/3 cup almond flour
salt to taste
Slice the eggplant into approx. 4 mm slices.
Mix all the masala ingredients in a flat bowl.
Dip each slice in the mixture so that it coats both sides evenly.
Repeat with all the slices and set aside for about 1/2 hr.
Make the coating by mixing the gram flour and almond flour with the salt.
Dredge each slice in this mixture.
Heat a skillet on medium-high flame and add a couple of tbsp of oil. Spread it on the skillet.
Arrange the slices on the skillet and cook until golden brown on the bottom.
Flip the slices and drizzle some more oil around the slices and cook until the other side also turns golden brown.
Serve with rice or rotis and some dal.
