Baingan Pakora (Without Frying)
Baingan pakora is a tasty indian fritter made of thin slices of eggplant dunked in a spiced gram flour batter fried in oil. These pakoras are made without onion or garlic. Gluten free and Vegan friendly. Serve with indian meals or as a snack with chai.
Ingredients
- 1 large (~300g) eggplant
- 1 cup gram flour besan
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- 1 pinch baking soda
- ⅔ cup water or as needed
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds coarsely crashed
- ½ teaspoon cumim seeds
- 1 pinch carrom seeds ajwain
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (hot) adjust to taste
- 1 indian green chilli (hot) adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon kasoori methi dried fenugreek seeds
- oil for pan frying as required, I use mustard oil
Instructions
- Wash the eggplant and dry it completely.
- Using a sharp knife, cut and discard the top. Cut the eggplant in not too thin or thick slices (see images in blog post to get an idea). Try to slice as uniformly as possible.
- Place the eggplant slices in a single layer on a plate and sprinkle some salt on both the sides. This will help season the eggplant as well as withdraw some moisture leading to crispy pakoras. Let sit for 10 minutes or so. Dab the moisture off the slices using a paper towel and proceed on to pan fry.
- In a large bowl, add sifted gram flour, rice flour, whole and ground spices, kasoori methi, salt and green chillies. Slowly add water and whisk simultaneously to make a lump-free medium consistency flowing batter. We need the batter to coat the eggplant fully with running off. Please see images in blog post to get an idea.
- Set a cast iron griddle or tawa(that you use for making rotis) on stove. Add 1-2 tablespoon of oil and spread it all around. Let oil warm up on low medium heat.
- Dunk the eggplant slices one by one in the pakora batter. The batter should cover both sides of the eggplant fully, make sure to drip away the excess batter.
- Place on the hot tawa 5-6 slices at a time. Dont overcrowd the pan.
- Let cook on low medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip using tongs and repeat the same on other side. You will need to add another tablespoon of oil coz baingan soaks up oil pretty fast. Cook with patience, pan frying is slower than deep frying.
- Lift pakoras using tongs and place on a cooling rack. Immediately sprinkle with more chaat masala.
- Serve right away with mint or green chutney, chai.
Notes
- Choosing Eggplant - Choose firm eggplants with shiny smooth skin- no spots or scratches.
- Slice Eggplant Evenly - Slice the eggplant into uniform rounds or batons. This will make sure that the pakoras cook evenly.
- Batter Consistency - Add water slowly and make a smooth and medium consistency flowing batter that easily coats the eggplant slices without running off.
- Flavorings - You could add flavors like sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nigella seeds etc for
- Pan Fry With Patience- To achieve the crispiness, don't rush pan frying else the pakoras will remain raw from inside.
- Fry in Small Batches - Do not overcrowd the frying pan or the deep-fryer. Fry the pakoras in small batches to maintain the oil temperature and ensure even cooking
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!