Something to munch on during tea-time especially on a rainy lazy Sunday evening surely sounds like fun. Snacks with tea/coffee need not always be deep fried or dunked in a lot of oil and then fried. Snacks can be subtly made and they taste really good without the guilt of a lot of calories. Eggplant or big brinjal/aubergine is not an appreciated vegetable but if it is converted to a tasty, crispy, savoury snack it can be very delightful. I call these Brinjal Coins because they look like big gold coins with the beautiful golden yellow colour rendered by the addition of turmeric/haldi. This is one of the many simple snacks I have learnt from my mother. Enjoy these with your hot beverage or serve as a starter! Try other snacks/starters.
- 1 eggplant or big brinjal/aubergine
- ¼ Cup rice flour/akki hittu
- 1 Tbsp fine semolina/fine sooji/chiroti rava
- ½ Tsp red chilli powder
- ½ Tsp turmeric
- 1 pinch hing/asafoetida/ingu
- ½ Tsp salt or to taste
- ½ Tsp sugar
- ¼ Tsp carom seeds/ajwain/om kaalu
- ½ Tsp jeera
- Few torn curry leaves
- Juice of ½ lime/lemon
- In a bowl add the rice flour
- Add fine sooji to it
- Add haldi, red chilli powder and hing. Mix lightly
- Add salt and sugar
- Add jeera and ajwain. Mix again
- Add torn curry leaves and mix well. Keep aside, this is the dry mixture
- Now to prepare eggplant, wash it. Start cutting ½ Cm thick slices off the eggplant, into large rounds. Arrange them in a plate
- Now squeeze in lime/lemon juice all over the brinjal rounds. This adds taste, prevents brinjal from turning brown and lets the dry mixture stick to the brinjal rounds/coins
- Keep the dry mixture and brinjal rounds together. Heat a pan or tawa
- Now to roast, oil the pan lightly. Dip brinjal rounds in dry rice flour/sooji mixture
- Roast them on tawa. Apply some oil in between
- When they turn golden, remove them
- Serve immediately with ketchup or hot chilli sauce
Use a grill pan if you want to roast these for nice grill marks
Adding lime/lemon juice, adds taste, prevents brinjal from turning brown due to oxidation and lets the dry mixture stick to the brinjal rounds/coins
These can also be roasted in the oven for 12-15 minutes or till done at 200 Deg C, turning them once in between
Adjust spices, powders as per your taste
Stepwise:
In a bowl add the rice flour
Add fine sooji to it
Add haldi, red chilli powder and hing. Mix lightly
Add salt and sugar
Add jeera and ajwain. Mix again
Add torn curry leaves and mix well. Keep aside, this is the dry mixture
Now to prepare eggplant, wash it. Start cutting 1/2 Cm thick slices off the eggplant, into large rounds. Arrange them in a plate
Now squeeze in lime/lemon juice all over the brinjal rounds. This adds taste, prevents brinjal from turning brown and lets the dry mixture stick to the brinjal rounds/coins
Keep the dry mixture and brinjal rounds together. Heat a pan or tawa
Now to roast, oil the pan lightly. Dip brinjal rounds in dry rice flour/sooji mixture
Roast them on tawa. Apply some oil in between
When they turn golden, remove them
Serve immediately with ketchup or hot chilli sauce
