Aubergine( Eggplant) Fritters- Beignets d'aubergines

Mauritius being a tropical island, we are unfortunately more often than we'd like faced with tropical cyclones. When a cyclone hits the island it is with heavy rain, strong wind and no electricity. The family would gather together and the elders would tell us stories from the past. We would also listen to the radio for the lastest news on where the cyclone is at , this till the battery on the radio would die on us....
One of the most memorable part of cyclones besides not having to attend school is of course the yummy food my mother and grandmother would prepare using the gas stove. Beignets d'aubergines or Aubergine fritters would be very common. Eating the piping hot treats while hearing the rain pounding on the windows and the wind blowing is one amongst many memories that linger on .......
Today I still make beignets d'Aubergines, specially on stormy winter days. Sitting in front of the fire place and watching the snow fall from the window is quite an experience as well and somehow reminds me of the "cyclonic" days back home !
***My colleague at work mentioned to me that Aubergine is not very commonly used in North America , it's more Eggplant ! Thanks Raoul :) *****

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS : 

 

- 1 big aubergine

-200 grm gram flour (also referred to as chickpea flour or Besan- easily available in regular stores)

-1 tbs all purpose flour

-1 chilli finely chopped

-1 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp garlic paste

-Oil for deep frying

 

 

METHOD :

• Slice Aubergine into thin rounds and keep in salted water
• Sift flours and baking powder in a bowl
• Add all other ingredients except oil and mix with enough water to a thick batter
• Dip each slice of aubergine into the batter and coat on each side evenly
• Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown
• Drain on kitchen paper and serve with chutney or hot sauce