Brinjal Bhaji is a vegetarian side dish served in Indian restaurants and takeaways. Aubergines are sauteed in an onion tomato gravy with Indian spices. This Indian Aubergine Curry can be ready in 20 minutes. It is vegan and gluten-free.
- What is Brinjal Bhaji
- Ingredients
- How to make Brinjal Bhaji takeaway style
- Serving Suggestion
- Storage
- Note
- Other Indian Mains
What is Brinjal Bhaji
Brinjal means aubergine and Bhaji means dry curry. It is also known as Indian Aubergine Curry, Eggplant Bhaji or Aubergine Bhaji.
The dish originates in India but is most commonly found on Indian restaurant menus and takeaways in the UK curry houses, America and Europe.
Pan fried aubergines are stir-fried in a onion, garlic and tomato masala and basic Indian spices. The finished curry is garnished with plenty of fresh coriander.
It is served Indian restaurant style with Indian bread like naan or chapatis, Tarka dal , and rice.
It is a rich curry full of robust flavour but is fairly simple to make, similar to this Bhindi Bhaji .
Ingredients
Brinjal Bhaji recipe ingredients are easily available in most local grocery stores.
Aubergines – Authentic Brinjal Bhaji is made using Indian aubergines called baingan. Depending where you live, feel free to any type of eggplant except white, green or pea aubergines. I have used the large aubergines sold in British supermarkets.
Slice the aubergines into cubes or batons. Do this just before cooking as aubergines oxidise and discolour fast.
The aubergines are pan-fried first as they have a spongy flesh that contains moisture.
Buy eggplants that have glossy smooth skin, are firm and have a bright green stalk.
Onions – I have used a large white onion. You can also use red. Finely chop or slice your onions
Garlic – Use fresh garlic where possible and mince but you can also use garlic paste
Ginger and green chillies – I have used fresh ginger and green chillies that are crushed. Alternatively use red chillies.
Tomatoes – I have used tinned chopped tomatoes. You can also use crushed tomatoes or tomato paste with one freshly chopped tomato.
Spice powders – you will need red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ground cumin and coriander powder and garam masala. Alternatively, use curry powder or this Madras Curry Powder
Cumin seeds – cumin seeds are added to hot oil to release flavour. You can use mustard seeds as an alternative.
Kasoori methi – these dried fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi are used in Indian cooking to taste restaurant style. I highly recommend adding if you have it but omit if you don’t.
Oil – I have used olive oil but you can use vegetable, sunflower oil as well. Do not use a strong flavoured oil like coconut as it will change the flavour. You need to use oil generously for this recipe.
Coriander/cilantro – freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish.
Optional
Nigella seeds (Black Onion Seeds) also known as Kalonji- most of the curry house and takeaways use it.
Sugar (brown or white) – to reduce any bitterness in the curry.
How to make Brinjal Bhaji takeaway style
Keep all the ingredients ready as this Indian aubergine Curry cooks quite fast.
Wash the aubergine and pat dry using a clean kitchen towel. Cut the aubergine into medium size dice just before you start cooking.
Add oil in the frying pan, and saute aubergine pieces on medium heat for few minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from the pan, keep it aside.
In the same pan, add more oil. Once oil is hot add cumin seeds and black onion seeds (if using). When they sizzled add chopped onion.
Once the onions are translucent and soft or light pink, add minced garlic, ginger and green chillies. Stir for few seconds. Then add red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin-coriander powder and garam masala, mix well and add tomatoes.
Let the tomatoes and onion mixture cook until you see oil leaving the masala.
Pour a dash of water and season with salt. Mix well. Add sauteed aubergine into the masala, cook aubergine until it becomes soft, keep stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle kasoori methi and mix well. The curry should be thick. Remove from the heat, add sugar (if using) and stir once more. Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander and serve
Roast Aubergine in Air Fryer
You can also air fry the aubergine or roast in the oven instead of pan-frying.
To air fry, preheat the air fryer to 200C or 400F.
Cut the aubergine in chunks as above. Spray over cooking oil or toss the aubergines in oil.
Air Fry the aubergine for 10-15 minutes or until the aubergine shrinks a little. The eggplant will become tender and the outside becomes golden brown.
Temperatures and timings may vary depending on your air fryer, water content of your vegetables and size you have cut.
Serving Suggestion
Brinjal Bhaji can be served as a main or as a side dish.
Serve alongside takeaway style pilau rice , Gujarati chapati or garlic and coriander naan .
As it is a dry curry, I like it with a dal such as Dal Fry – similar to Tadka dal in British Indian Restaurants.
Easy Mango Mousse without egg would make a great dessert.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container. The curry will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave.
You can freeze brinjal bhaji but the aubergines may loose their texture upon defrosting.
Note
Baingan bharta and brinjal bhaji are both Indian dishes made with eggplant or aubergine. However, they are prepared differently and so have unique flavours.
Onion bhaji and brinjal bhaji may have similar names but are very different recipes.
Onion bhaji is a fritter or pakora. It is served as an appetizer alongside poppadoms and Indian Mint Sauce .
In this case, “bhaji” in Onion Bhaji refers to bhajiya or fritters, but “bhaji” in Brinjal Bhaji means dry curry or sabji.
You can also make Onion Bhaji in Air Fryer .
Other Indian Mains
Aloo Butter Masala
Authentic Chana Masala
Bombay Potatoes
Shahi Paneer
Chana Saag
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Brinjal Bhaji (Indian Aubergine Curry)
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 1 large aubergine approx 400g
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon nigella seeds black onion seeds (optional)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic puree or minced
- 1 green chili minced
- 1 teaspoon root ginger minced
- ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder red
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin and coriander
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasoori methi dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablsespoon coriander freshly chopped
Instructions
- Cut aubergine into medium size dice. 1 large aubergine
- Add half of the oil and aubergine pieces in a pan and sauté on medium heat until light brown. 1/4 cup oil
- Remove them, then add remaining oil in the same pan.
- Add cumin and nigella seeds, once they sizzle add chopped onion. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 large onion, 1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds
- Once onion is light pink and soft, add ginger, garlic and green chillies. 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 green chili, 1 teaspoon root ginger
- Cook the mixture for a few seconds, turn the heat on low, then add spices powders. 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- Now add tomatoes and mix well. Cook 2-3 minutes. 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- Pour 1/4 cup water and mix everything well.
- Once the mixture starts cooking, add sauteed eggplant and season with the salt. 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Mix and allow the aubergine to go soft. (If needed add 2-3 tablespoon water)
- Once done, add kasoori methi and sugar. 1 teaspoon kasoori methi, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander and serve hot. 2 tablsespoon coriander
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe was posted on our blog on the 11th of December 2015 since I have updated the post with new content and pictures.
Brinjal Bhaji (Indian Aubergine Curry)
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 1 large aubergine approx 400g
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon nigella seeds black onion seeds (optional)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic puree or minced
- 1 green chili minced
- 1 teaspoon root ginger minced
- ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder red
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin and coriander
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasoori methi dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablsespoon coriander freshly chopped
Instructions
- Cut aubergine into medium size dice. 1 large aubergine
- Add half of the oil and aubergine pieces in a pan and sauté on medium heat until light brown. 1/4 cup oil
- Remove them, then add remaining oil in the same pan.
- Add cumin and nigella seeds, once they sizzle add chopped onion. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 large onion, 1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds
- Once onion is light pink and soft, add ginger, garlic and green chillies. 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 green chili, 1 teaspoon root ginger
- Cook the mixture for a few seconds, turn the heat on low, then add spices powders. 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- Now add tomatoes and mix well. Cook 2-3 minutes. 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- Pour 1/4 cup water and mix everything well.
- Once the mixture starts cooking, add sauteed eggplant and season with the salt. 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Mix and allow the aubergine to go soft. (If needed add 2-3 tablespoon water)
- Once done, add kasoori methi and sugar. 1 teaspoon kasoori methi, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander and serve hot. 2 tablsespoon coriander
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Poppadoms are a delicious Indian appetizer popular in Indian restaurants . With this quick and easy homemade poppadom recipe , you can prepare perfectly crunchy poppadoms to serve during curry night! Included are fried, tava cooked, air fryer and microwave recipes.
Follow the video instructions or step by step method for homemade fried poppadoms in 5 minutes !
- What are poppadoms?
- Homemade Poppadoms from Scratch
- Why you will love this recipe
- Cook At Home Poppadom Ingredients
- How to cook Poppadoms at home How to make poppadom by deep-frying How to make papad without oil (tawa method) Homemade Poppadoms in Microwave Air Fryer Poppadom
- Serving Suggestion
- Poppadom Dips
- Storage
- FAQs
- Other Indian Restaurant Style Recipes
Making poppadoms at home couldn’t be easier and they taste so much better than ready to eat poppadoms. Simply purchase your favourite uncooked poppadom and fry them within seconds in hot oil.
Now, you could make the poppadoms entirely from scratch, but I think frying store-bought uncooked poppadoms tastes just as good and takes a lot less effort!
Whether you are cooking your own Indian fake-away for curry night or waiting for delivery, homemade crispy poppadoms are the way to go!
What are poppadoms?
Poppadoms are a type of thin Indian cracker or crisp and are served as light starters or appetizers. These round lentil crackers are made from either urad dal, chickpea flour, rice flour or tapioca starch.
They are also known as poppadums, papadums, papad, appadam, appalam in different parts of India.
Papadums can be either deep-fried so they are light as air or cooked on a hot tava (Indian style concave griddle pan). This depends on the main ingredient of the poppadoms.
Poppadums prepared with urid/urad and rice flours are suitable for deep-frying and closely resemble the poppadoms from Indian takeaways.
It is important to use oil as simply cooking rice flour poppadoms on a tawa will not produce the same airy cracker texture.
The papad made with only urad flour are cooked on a hot tawa until they form bubbles and become crispy. These are suitable for frying too.
Papad can come in various flavours such as black pepper, garlic, cumin and green chilli to name a few.
In Western supermarkets, you can commonly find ready to eat restaurant style poppadoms . These are pre-fried poppadums that do not require any cooking.
Curry houses will serve poppadums in a basket as a starter with a trio of poppadom dips and biryani dishes.
Homemade Poppadoms from Scratch
In India, poppadoms are traditonally made from scratch and in bulk in individual homes. The method is labour intensive.
Firstly a dough is prepared with either urad flour or rice flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices.
The dough is divided into equal size balls which are then very thinly rolled out into rounds or discs.
These are then left to dry in the hot sun for a few days. The raw poppadoms can now be stored for months and cooked whenever needed.
Why you will love this recipe
Works well as a starter or side – serve ahead of your meal with poppadom dips or alongside your curry and rice dishes
Indian appetizer that is suitable for vegans and vegetarians
Simple ingredients – only 2 ingredients are required for easy homemade poppadums
Cheap – this starter is budget-friendly (approx £1-2 for 18-20) because you can make a large batch from one packet at a fraction of the cost of an Indian takeaway.
Perfect for get-togethers and parties
Oil-free poppadom recipe included in this post
Can be served with Shirazi salad too
Cook At Home Poppadom Ingredients
You need just two simple ingredients to make easy poppadoms at home.
Uncooked poppadoms
They are easily available in Indian grocery stores but are also sometimes stocked in the World Food Aisle of supermarkets.
Uncooked papad come in many different varieties. For restaurant style poppadoms that are served with the dips, go for plain Madras based ones. (Urad flour and rice flour)
If you want to make poppadom without oil or oil-free, go for regular (urad flour) and heat them on a frying pan or griddle.
Oil for frying – I have used vegetable oil, but you can also use sunflower or canola oil. Olive pomace oil is an option too but has its own flavour. I do not recommend mustard or coconut oil as they are strong-flavoured.
You do not need oil if making poppadoms directly on a pan.
How to cook Poppadoms at home
How to make poppadom by deep-frying
Use Madras papad for this method.
Heat oil approximately 2-3 inches high in a kadai or deep pan. A frying pan may be too shallow for this
Wait until the oil heats. You can check if the oil is hot by dropping in a small piece of papad. If it immediately rises and puffs, the oil is ready.
Tip – the oil must be hot and not warm for the crispiest poppadums.
Place one poppadum in the oil at a time. It should immediately rise and expand. As soon as it does this, remove from the hot oil using a slotted spoon or kitchen tongs. You do not want to papad to brown.
Place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil if you wish.
Serve immediately or within 1 hour for best results.
Repeat for the remaining pieces. If the papad are browning, reduce the heat.
How to make papad without oil(tawa method)
Heat a tawa or flat pan without any oil on medium flame.
Hover your hand close (but not too close!!) to the pan, when you can feel warmth, place one papad on top.
Within seconds, you will see bubbles appear on the surface.
Using tongs, flip over the papad and cook on the other side. You will see that the rawness of the papad disappears.
Once you see this, remove from the heat. As the papad cools, it will become really crispy.
Do not use high heat as the papad will burn but remain raw.
This style of papadum is often eaten by Gujaratis who serve it with Gujarati Khichdi .
Homemade Poppadoms inMicrowave
Brush a single papad with a little oil on both sides.
Place on a microwave safe plate and heat on high for 40-60 seconds depending on your brand of papad and microwave.
Again, they will crisp up as they cool.
Air Fryer Poppadom
Cooking poppadoms in the air fryer is much healthier than deep-frying but there are a few important points to note.
If you place a single piece of papad in the air fryer, it will fly in the basket, will stick to the filaments and likely cause your air fryer to start smoking! We do not want this.
Instead, place your papad in the basket but cover them with something heavy such as dried beans or baking beans.
Brush with oil Air Fry at 200C or 400F for 1-2 minutes. You do not need to preheat.
The results will not compare to deep-frying or cooking on a pan but it is an option you may wish to try out.
Have you tried our easy air fryer onion bhaji yet? It takes only 20 minutes!!
Serving Suggestion
Papad can be served before your meal or alongside tarka dal , curries and biryanis.
Prepare a copycat Indian curry house or takeaway meal with Indian bread like garlic and coriander naans or rotli .
I like saag aloo , matar paneer and chana masala with some takeaway style pilau rice .
A bowl of kachumber , Indian side salad, can be used as topping for masala poppadum .
Poppadom Dips
In Indian restaurants, poppadoms and starters are served with a trio of dips. This crunchy appetizer simply wouldn’t be complete without poppadom condiments or sauces!
- Indian Onion Chutney – my all time favourite is this Indian Onion Dip for Poppadoms . This red dip can be ready in 5 minutes as you just need to chop an onion and mix it in a red sauce of ketchup and simple Indian spices.
- Indian Mint Sauce – Indian yogurt mint sauce is perfect for crispy poppadums, it has a tang with a little sweetness and is so good.
- Mango Chutney – a classic! Scoop up plenty of mango chutney with your crispy papad. Alternatively, try amba sauce , a Middle Eastern pickled mango sauce.
Storage
Poppadoms are best eaten immediately after cooking. This is because they quickly become stale. For this reason, do not prepare poppadoms in advance.
If you do have leftovers, store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a day. This will keep the poppadoms crispy.
Uncooked poppadoms can be stored for many months if kept in an round air tight container in a dark cupboard.
Authentic poppadoms are always gluten-free and vegan as they contain no wheat or dairy products. However, if purchasing, check the packet for the ingredients. Some may contain hing or asafoetida which is often made with wheat flour.
Other Indian Restaurant Style Recipes
Bombay Potatoes
Brinjal Bhaji
Shahi Paneer
Chana Saag
Sweet Lassi
Mango Lassi
Carrot Halwa
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Easy Poppadoms Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 kitchen tong
- 1 Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 6 poppadoms uncooked
- 2 cup oil for frying
Instructions
Restaurant style deep fried
- Remove the uncooked poppadoms from the packaging. 6 poppadoms
- Separate each of them, keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a frying pan. 2 cup oil
- Once oil is HOT, carefully lower one poppadom in to the hot oil.
- Slightly press the papad using a slotted spoon.
- As soon as the papad expands or rises, (it only takes few seconds if the oil is hot) remove carefully using a tong and slotted spoon.
- Keep them on kitchen tissue paper to soak up the extra oil.
Pan Roasted Poppadoms without oil
- Heat a tawa or flat pan without any oil on medium flame.
- When the pan is hot, place one papad on top.
- Within seconds, you will see bubbles appear on the surface.
- Using tongs, flip over the papad and cook on the other side. You will see that the rawness of the papad disappears.
- Once you see this, remove from the heat. As the papad cools, it will become really crispy.
Microwave Poppadums
- Brush a single papad with a little oil on both sides.
- Place on a microwave safe plate and heat on high for 40-60 seconds depending on your brand of papad and microwave.
- Again, they will crisp up as they cool.
Air Fryer Poppadoms
- Brush with oil Air Fry at 200C or 400F for 1-2 minutes. You do not need to preheat. Cover the papad with something heavy such as dried beans or baking beans.
Video
Notes
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
