Brinjal Tava Fry | Easy 15 minutes recipe

Name: Brinjal Tava Fry
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 large brinjal (the kind we buy for baingan bartha, also known as aubergine); ½ tsp wheat flour; ½ tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp sambar powder; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp sugar; 4 tbsp sesame oil (for shallow frying)

July 7, 2022 (Last Updated: February 5, 2023)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Meet my leaning tower of Kathirikai aka Brinjal Fry!

Crisp, shallow fried brinjal disks spiced with sambar podi cooked in sesame oil! These are crunchy outside and soft inside, delicious everywhere! Such a misunderstood vegetable, this brinjal is. It is one of my absolute favourites and if I could, I would spend time convincing people how so wonderful this is. When cooked right, the texture is not mushy or gooey – but it is just soft and supple with a delicious taste.

This recipe is like a South Indian Begun Bhaja, a Bengali delicacy. It is cooked in a dosa tava (ofcourse, you can use any flat pan) and will take you only 15 minutes to make. It is BEST consumed hot off the stove. Another favourite recipe with this vegetable is this Brinjal Pachadi.

Print Pin

Brinjal Tava Fry

Crisp, shallow fried brinjal disks spiced with sambar podi cooked in sesame oil! These are crunchy outside and soft inside, delicious everywhere!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Prep Time 15

Servings 2

Ingredients

1 large brinjal the kind we buy for baingan bartha, also known as aubergine
½ tsp wheat flour
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp sambar powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
4 tbsp sesame oil for shallow frying

Instructions

Wash the brinjal and cut into 1 cm disks. A large brinjal should make about 7-9 slices.
In a bowl, combine the wheat flour, chilli powder, sambar podi, salt and sugar.
Coat the brinjal slices in the spice mix and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a shallow pan. It should be hot. Add the brinjal pieces in a single layer and lower the heat.
We need to cook each side for 2-3 minutes. The outside must be golden brown and the inner must cook completely. Make sure heat is on the lower end.
When done, lift the pieces and let excess oil drain. Garnish with fresh curry leaves and serve.

I love having this Brinjal Fry with a plain dal and rice. It is crispy on the outside yet soft when bitten into. The recipe itself as you can see is extremely simple – it will take less than 20 minutes from chopping to eating! I learned the trick of including sugar from the Bong Eats channel. It helps to create a caramelized layer and also brings out the moisture from the brinjals in the marinating time.