Beguni is a delightful, yummy snack, just perfect for a rainy day. Fresh purple brinjal slices, dipped in chick-pea flour batter and deep-fried to a warm, crunchy golden brown. Crisp eggplant fritters or Vankayya Bajji are best relished as a snack or served as a side dish with Khichdi/daal-rice. Enjoy this popular Bengali snack recipe with a hot cup of chai!
Brinjal is native to India and it’s available in purple, green or white varieties. As cut eggplants tend to brown very quickly, you need to keep them immersed in water or sprinkle some lemon juice over the eggplant slices. Eggplant also absorbs a lot of oil and it’s advised to “degorge” eggplants – sprinkle salt over the brinjal slices, let stand for 15 minutes, rinse under running water and pat dry. This process also helps remove the bitterness, if any.
Brinjal is widely used in Indian cuisine and it’s called the ‘king of vegetables’. Eggplant or Brinjal is low in calories but rich in fiber. It prevents cancer, heart disease, slows down aging and has a low glycemic index.
Beguni Bengali Recipe:
Eggplant bajji recipe is a deliciously easy snack of crispy fried eggplant fritters made with chickpea flour. Bajjis are just the recipe to brighten up a damp, chilly day. Crispy fried eggplant bajjis served with tomato ketchup and a steaming cup of masala chai – truly heavenly!
How to make Bengali beguni fry:
Learn how to make an easy snack with this simple eggplant recipe.
- For this Bengali brinjal fritters recipe, firstly, finely slice brinjals into roundels or cut longitudinally.
- Then, mix all the ingredients for the baingan pakora batter along with water to a semi-thick consistency. Dip brinjal slices in it and coat well.
- Now, heat oil in a kadai and gently release the batter coated slices of brinjal into it.
- Now, deep fry the brinjal slices till golden brown. Then, turn the baingan bajjis over when one side turns golden brown.
- Finally, remove Vankayya Bajji with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Serve crisp and delicious Bengali style Beguni as a tea time snack with puffed rice or as a side dish with rice and simple moong dal.
If you are searching for more eggplant recipes for rice, do try out Brinjal Tomato Curry, Neem Begun Bhaja, Baingan Bharta, Matar Baingan Bhujia and Shorshe Doi Begun.
Eggplant Fritters Recipe details below:
Brinjal Fritters Recipe Bengali
Ingredients
- Eggplant/brinjal – 1 sliced into thin roundels
- Besan/Chick pea flour – 1 cup
- Rice Flour – ¼ cup
- Turmeric powder – a pinch
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Onion seeds/Kalonji/Kalojeera - 1 tsp
- Poppy seeds optional – 1 tsp
- Hing/Asafoetida optional – a pinch
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Cut brinjal into thin slices.
- Mix besan/chickpea flour, rice flour, salt, red chilli powder, onions seeds, hing and poppy seeds.
- Gradually add water to make a smooth, semi-thick batter of pouring consistency.
- Wash brinjal/eggplant slices and pat dry.
- Heat oil in a frying pan.
- Add some hot oil to the batter and blend well with hand.
- Dip the brinjal/eggplant roundels in the batter, ensure the slices are well-coated and gently drop them in hot oil.
- Fry till the eggplant/brinjal fritters are nicely cooked on both sides and turn golden brown.
- Remove brinjal/eggplant fritters using a slotted spoon. Place on paper towels/tissue paper to drain off excess oil.
- Serve piping-hot Beguni/Eggplant Fritters with a light sprinkling of Chaat Masala.
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