Monday, March 23, 2009

Brinjal Fry (Begun Bhaaja)



Brinjal or eggplant or Aubergine (I have always preferred the last one - just for the way it sounds:)) comes in various sizes and shapes. I should also mention, in various colours too. Whether it is the royal purple or a beautiful pale green or the tiny white ones - they all taste great when made with a pinch of salt. I have always felt that there is certain vastness about a brinjal. Not just because of his round, large shape (Very royal - with the crown, I must say!) but because it drinks all the oil from the frying pan whenever you tend to cook it! Yes. Brinjal absorbs a lot of oil and that's why it is always recommended that you use it with salt as that prevents it from absorbing the entire oil. I have a very simple recipe to share which goes well if you are planning to have pooris or maybe Dal-Rice. Infact, I am going to give you not one but two great ways to make 'Brinjal Fry'.

Brinjal Fry (Without Batter)






1 Large, well rounded Brinjal
Salt
Oil

Wash the brinjal in running water. Cut the brinjal in small - 1.5" cubes. Put them in an utensil and add salt. Rub the salt evenly and keep them aside for 5-7 mins.
In a heavy bottomed pan or a frying pan, add 5 Tbsp of Oil and heat the oil after putting it on the gas. When the oil gets hot, put 2 or 3 pieces of the brinjal at a time (depending on the size of the pan). Let it fry till one side becomes brown. Turn it using a tong or a spatula and fry the other side. Add oil, if required. when both sides are brown and the brinjal is soft, take it out and drain it using a tissue paper. Once all the pieces are fried, serve them with hot Pooris.


Brinjal Fry (With Batter)

1 Large, well rounded Brinjal

6 Tbsp of Gram Flour (Besan)

1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Tsp of Jeera Powder

Salt

Water

6 Tbsp of Oil
Wash the brinjal in running water and after wiping it clean, cut thin slices of 1cm depth. Add salt and keep them aside for 10mins. Now, take the gram flour in a bowl and add the salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and add 100ml of water. Stir it to a fine and smooth batter. Now, put the frying pan on the gas and add the oil (6 Tbsp). Once the oil gets heated, take 1 brinjal slice at a time, dip in the batter and fry it in the hot oil. Turn the piece using a spatula or a tong and make sure both sides are fried. The batter should have now hardened and become golden brown in colour. Make sure you regulate the heat once the oil is heated, so that the slices don't get burnt. In a similar way, fry the other slices. Take them out and absorb the excess oil using a tissue paper. This one tastes better with Dal and hot rice.

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