Name: Crisp Fried Aubergine
Yield: Serves Four
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 large aubergine (eggplant); 2.5–5 ml/½–1 tsp hot chilli powder; 2.5 ml/½ tsp fennel seeds or aniseeds; 5 ml/1 tsp cumin seeds; 2.5 ml/½ tsp salt, or to taste; 2.5 ml/½ tsp onion seeds; 50 g/2 oz/½ cup gram flour; 15 ml/1 tbsp semolina or ground rice; vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Preparation info

Serves
Four

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Complete Guide to Traditional Jewish Cooking

By Marlena Spieler

Published 2016

About

The aubergine is native to India but was brought to Persia in the 4th century, and then introduced by the Arabs to Spain in the 13th century. Eventually it made its way to Sicily, where it was embraced by the Jewish community long before many Christians were tempted to eat it. Aubergine is an important vegetable in the Sephardic kitchen, as it can act as an alternative to meat. This dish is from the bene Israel, an Indian-Jewish community that dates from the year 175bce.