The deep-fried crispy baby eggplants sprinkled with the flavorful Indian spices add the right amount of zing to a wholesome Indian meal! It will add that extra special touch to your everyday meal!
Eggplant is one of the very regular vegetables in Indian kitchen and I firmly believe that this humble little stuff is yet to get its due! Most of us do not have very high regards for this cute plum-colored veggie, but for some strange reason I am really very fond of it!
Being raise in a typical Indian family and feed on regular Indian food, there was no way one could avoid it, but then somehow I fell in love with this veggie!
Deep fried eggplant was a regular affair in my mum’s kitchen. We even used to grow them on our terrace and how I loved to see those baby eggplants!
They used to bring instant joy on my face! I used to refrain everyone from plucking them as I wanted them to grow bigger, but in that mere pot my dream never came true!
Now gone are the days of huge terraces! I have to keep myself happy with the kitchen garden flourishing in our tiny balcony. But thanks to my hub, we get the fresh herbs whenever I wish! That’s a major plus! Like in this recipe I needed some mint leaves to sprinkle over and I didn’t have to run to the supermarket or compromise the garnish!
You might be thinking what’s the big deal with these fried spicy eggplant recipe which is not even qualified enough to be called as a recipe! You see there are only 3 lines under the instructions! Well, some recipes are not special for exotic ingredients, but because of the memories and simplicity embedded in them.
And this one is definitely one of them! While flipping through one of the cookbooks in my collection, I saw this recipe and it immediately reminded me of my childhood.
So you see, it was not only a regular recipe for me but a time travel to when life was free of all stress and worries! Who would want to miss that!
- Baby eggplant/aubergine – 4 to 5
- Curry powder – 2 tsp
- Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Sunflower/vegetable oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
- Mint leaves – ½ cup
- Lemon wedges – 2 to 3
- Thinly slice the eggplants and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the curry powder and salt and toss them to coat evenly.
- Heat sunflower or vegetable oil in a deep frying pan and let it become smoking hot. Once hot, deep fry the sliced aubergine in batches for about 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp and golden. Take them out and place on an absorbent kitchen towel.
- Once all the eggplant slices are fried, transfer them all to a large serving plate, scatter over the chopped fresh mint leaves and sprinkle the chilli powder. Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.
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