Eggplant like you have never tasted before. Deep fried with chilli and tamarind.

We make two versions of Brinjal Fry – one that is sauteed, and this one which is deep fried. Both are incredible, even tho they are easy, no fuss recipes.

You might like to browse our eggplant recipes here and here. Our favourites are Baingan Kabharta – Eggplant Curry, Eggplant with Sesame and Soy, and Tender Eggplant. Browse all of our Indian recipes here and here. Find inspiration in our Autumn dishes here and here.

Brinjal Fry | Deepfried Eggplant



Adapted from S. Meenakshi Ammal’s Cook and See III, Brinjal Fry.

Cuisine: South Indian, Tamil

Prep time: 10 mins or less

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: 4 people

ingredients

700g tender eggplant

1/2 cup bengal gram dal flour (besan / chickpea flour)

2.5 tspns chilli powder

2 tspns salt

pinch asafoetida

small knob of tamarind

1.5 cups Indian sesame oil (make sure it is Indian, it has a lighter taste than Chinese. It is almost tasteless.)

2 tspns ghee

method

Cut the brinjal (eggplants) in two, and then cut into chip shaped pieces, perhaps a little thicker. Wash and drain them, then mix with the pinch of asafoetida.



Make a thick juice with the tamarind and mix this through the brinjal, then put them aside.

In another bowl, mix the salt, chillli powder and ghee with the bengal gram flour.

Now, divide the brinjal into four, and the flour mix into four. We want to cook one lot at a time.

Heat the oil in a pan, and while it is heating, mix one portion of brinjal with one portion of the bengal gram flour mix.

When the oil is heated properly, add the mix and deep fry it, turning often. Remove when it is fried crisp, and drain on some paper towel.

Repeat for the second portion of four and eggplant, and repeat with the other two portions.

recipe notes

The tamarind juice not only adds flavour, it also helps to tenderise the eggplant, so allow it a few moments to marinate before moving on with the next part of the recipe. If your brinjal are young and tender, you can omit the tamarind, however it does add the flavour of the dish.