Easy Eggplant Fritters- Pan-fried Tasty Pakodas
Make smooth, lump-free batter with Besan and water. Add seasonings and chopped cilantro. add several eggplant slices (1/8 inch thick) to the batter and stir to coat. Carefully place each batter-coated slice over a few drops of oil on a hot frying pan. Arrange slices close together, but not touching. Cover, cook on medium heat until browned on the bottom and top looks dry. Spoon a few drops of oil on each slice then flip. and brown the other side. Repeat until done. Serve hot. with spicy green mint/coriander chutney and/or ketchup. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Non-stick coated frying pan with lid preferred; if not available, uncoated pan or small wok is OK, but will need more oil to prevent sticking during frying.
- spatula/tongs suitable for use with non-stick pan.
Ingredients
- 1 piece medium-large 'skinny' Chinese eggplant about 10-12 inches long: cut into 1/8 inch (1/4 cm) thick slices - cut just before frying or Japanese eggplant; other varieties of eggplant OK too (also called Brinjal, Aubergine, Baingan, Begun, Vaangi, etc.); may need to cut rounds from 'fat' eggplants into quarters
Besan Batter
- 1/4 cup Besan fine-textured ; also called Chana flour, Garbanzo bean flour, Chick pea flour
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/8 tsp Salt adjust
- 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder (cayenne) adjust as per taste preference
- 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp Carom Seeds also called Ajwain, Owaa, Jowaan, etc.; if not available, omit or replace with a pinch of dried Thyme - less than 1/8 tsp
- 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
- 2 tbsp Fresh coriander (cilantro)- chopped finely also called Haraa Dhaniya, Kothimbir, etc
- 1 pinch Baking soda half of 1/8 tsp: do NOT add too much- it will leave a bad after-taste
- 4 tsp oil peanut oil preferred; do NOT use extra-virgin olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Make the batter: add all the seasonings to the Besan; mix well and then whisk in the water - adding a little at a time to prevent and break up lumps.. Use a slotted spoon or a fork if you don't have a whisk.
- Rinse and chop the fresh coriander(cilantro). Stir into the batter.
- Wash and slice the eggplant - not too thin: about 1/8 in (1/4 cm) thick. It is best to slice the eggplant just before making the fritters- otherwise the slices start to darken very quickly. Get everything ready and slice the eggplant last.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan. Heat 1/2 tsp oil for about 30 seconds on medium heat and transfer it with a spoon to the Besan batter. Adding hot oil to the batter helps make the coating become a bit crispy while frying. Stir the batter well to distribue the hot oil. I do not recommend pouring the oil from the pan - it tends to dribble on the side (outside surface of the pan) and burns while you're cooking. The unsightly burn-marks are almost impossible to clean later. Add 6-7 slices of eggplant to the batter and stir gently to coat them with the batter. Now add 2-3 drops oil on one spot on the pan, and using a spoon to transfer, place a batter-coated slice directly on top of the oil. Repeat, placing the next slice close to the first one but not quite touching.. Repeat with more slices until the pan is almost full - about 9-10 slices should fit on an 8-inch pan. Since the batter is thin, it may run together on the pan- that's OK, you can separate the pieces later..The top will likely look a bit bare: if so, spoon a few drops of batter on top of each slice.
- Cover and cook on medium heat for 2-3 min. Remove cover: the top should look almost dry. Slide a spatula under one slice- take a peek underneath to check if it has browned. If not, cook for another minute or so.
- With a small spoon, place a couple of drops of oil on each slice, then flip to brown the other side.
- Cook, uncovered, for 2-3 min until second side is browned.
- With a sturdy spatula, remove from the pan and transfer to a plate or cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining slices of eggplant. While the second batch is cooking, prepare the serving tray with a dip of your choice - spicy green mint/coriander chutney, mild tomato ketchup, spicy red chili paste like Sambal Oelek, are all good options. Serve hot, accompanied by beverage of your choice - tea/coffee, lemonade....
- Enjoy!
Notes
When using eggplant in any recipe:
- Cut it just before cooking to minimize browning/darkening
- Do NOT soak cut up eggplant in water to minimize 'browning' - you will lose nutrients
- Preferably, leave the skin on - it has valuable nutrients
- the batter needs to be a bit thicker:
- Increase Besan to 6 tbsp (from 1/4 cup, which is 4 tbsp); make a lump-free batter with 1/4 cup water, add the remaining ingredients, then add maybe 1-2 tsp more water, if batter seems too thick. All other ingredient proportions are the same.
- You will need about 1/2-3/4 cup oil for frying, using a small wok.
- add about 5-6 pieces of batter-dipped slices to the hot oil.
- Fry on medium-high heat.
- Flip as the bottom gets brown- about 30-seconds - remove when other side gets browned.
- Remove and place on paper-towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat until all pieces are fried.
- Serve hot
- If you have heated the oil for more than 10 min, it is not advisable to use it again. Discard the leftover oil in an appropriate way - do NOT put it down the sink - it will clog your pipes.
- If you have heated the oil for less than 10 min or so, you can use up the left-over 'spent' oil within the next 3-4 days.
- If you plan to do so, transfer it to a container that can be refrigerated - a lidded glass jar works well.
- However, please do not use it for deep-frying or roasting - that will convert the oil into substances that are harmful to health.
- It is OK to use it for making a Tadka, if you will be adding the Tadka to Dal or vegetable at the end of the cooking process; - do not heat the oil for long periods of time.
- To serve: Reheat in a toaster oven or airfryer (do not microwave- they will become soggy!)
- Spread in a thin layer on a baking pan and heat for 7-8 minutes at 300-325 F / 150-160C till crisp.
- Watch to make sure it does not overheat: the oil can catch fire if overheated
- Spread in a thin layer on a baking pan and heat for 7-8 minutes at 300-325 F / 150-160C till crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 296mgPotassium: 386mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 147IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg
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