Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Kathirakkai
Kathirakkai (Aubergine (Eggplant) Fritters)

Kathirakkai

Aubergine (Eggplant) Fritters
Vegetarian●●●Origin Tamil NaduPrep 15–20 minutesCook 10 minutes

Crisp, golden South Indian aubergine fritters coated in a spiced chickpea batter. They are savoury, aromatic with ajwain, and tender on the inside.

Batter spices

2.3 gWhisked into the dry batter mix (step 2)
01
Asafoetida · Hing
~0.3 gpinch
spice
02
Carom seeds · Ajwain
2 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep whole and stir directly into the flour mixture.

Everything else

01
Aubergine · Baingan
800 g4 aubergines
vegetable
02
Chickpea flour · Besan
150 g
flour
03
Rice flour · Chawal ka atta
3.3 g1 teaspoon
flour
04
Vegetable oil · Telfor deep-frying
to taste
oil/fat
05
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt
06
Tamarind and coriander chutney · Imli-Dhaniya Chutneyto serveMake it: Chintapandu Koythamira Chutney →
to taste
other

Method

  1. Slice 4 aubergines vertically into thin strips.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine 150 g chickpea flour, the batter spices (0.3 g asafoetida and 2.2 g ajwain seeds), and salt to taste. Whisk in enough water to create a thick, pourable batter.
  3. Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan or kadhai and bring it to 180°C (350°F).
  4. Fry in batches: coat each aubergine slice thoroughly in the batter, gently lower into the hot oil, and cook for approximately 2 minutes until evenly browned and crisp.
  5. Transfer the fried slices with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper to drain, and serve immediately alongside tamarind and coriander chutney.

Don't have something?

Aubergine
  • Baby aubergine

    Use the same weight; halve or quarter and cook 2–3 minutes longer. They hold their shape better in the sauce.

  • Small aubergine

    Use the same weight; slice or cube to the recipe's size. Similar flesh, slightly firmer.

  • Round aubergine

    Use the same weight; cube and salt for 10 minutes if the recipe does. It absorbs oil a little more.

Chickpea flour
  • Yellow split pea flour

    Use 100% of the weight. Many commercial gram flours are milled from split peas; performs identically in pakora batters and kadhi.

  • Cornstarch

    For crisping batters or binding cutlets: use 50% to 60% of the weight. Produces a very crisp shell but lacks the earthy, roasted nutty flavour of besan.

Rice flour
  • Cornflour

    Use about 60–70% of the weight for thickening; for coatings use the same weight but the crust is denser.

  • Plain flour

    Use the same weight for coatings; contains gluten, browns faster and is less crisp.

  • Fine semolina

    Use the same weight for crisp coatings; coarser texture and needs a short rest.

Asafoetida
  • Garlic powder

    Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.

  • Garlic paste

    Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Ajwain seed
  • Carom seed

    Use the same weight; this is the same spice.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 75% of the weight, toasted; different, less medicinal flavour.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight, crushed; sweeter and milder.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Tamarind and coriander chutney
  • Green chutney

    Use the same weight; it is fresher and less sweet, so add a little tamarind paste or sugar if the recipe needs the sweet-sour balance.

  • Tamarind chutney or mint chutney

    Use the same weight; choose tamarind chutney for sweetness or mint chutney for freshness. Adjust salt and chilli to taste.

  • Mint chutney

    Use the same weight and stir in a little tamarind paste; it will be more minty and less tamarind-heavy.

Similar dishes

Beguni
Batter-fried Aubergine (Eggplant)
Beguni tastes warm, nutty, and peppery from cumin and chilli, lacking the thyme-like bite of ajwain and the tart chutney of this dish.
  • Same: Beguni also consists of sliced aubergine coated in a chickpea flour batter and deep-fried in vegetable oil.
  • Different: Beguni incorporates fresh coconut, ground cumin, and chilli powder, but omits this dish's ajwain, asafoetida, and tamarind-coriander chutney.
Vaarzhaikkai
Banana Fritters
Vaarzhaikkai is spicier and more herbal from the chilli powder and curry leaves, with a firmer, starchier bite than this tender aubergine dish.
  • Same: Vaarzhaikkai is also deep-fried in vegetable oil using a chickpea flour batter seasoned with ajwain seeds and asafoetida, served with Chintapandu Koythamira Chutney.
  • Different: Instead of aubergine, Vaarzhaikkai uses raw banana as the base and adds chilli powder and curry leaves to the batter.
Papri
Gram (Chickpea) Flour Biscuits (Crackers)
Papri is uniformly crunchy with the pungent heat of mustard oil and chilli, whereas this dish has a soft, tender vegetable centre flavoured with herbal ajwain.
  • Same: Like this dish, Papri is deep-fried and made from a base of chickpea flour seasoned with asafoetida.
  • Different: Papri is rolled into thin, dough-based crackers and fried in mustard oil with chilli powder, lacking this dish's battered aubergine slices, ajwain seeds, vegetable frying oil, and tamarind chutney.
Rasedar Baigan
Curried Aubergine (Eggplant) in Coconut Sauce
Rasedar Baigan is a mellow, coconut-rich curry, whereas this dish is crisp and savoury with ajwain aroma and a tamarind-coriander chutney on the side.
  • Same: Rasedar Baigan shares aubergine, asafoetida, chilli powder, salt, and vegetable oil with this dish.
  • Different: Rasedar Baigan simmers 250 g aubergine in coconut milk with turmeric, while this dish coats 800 g aubergine in a chickpea flour, rice flour, ajwain, and asafoetida batter and fries it, serving it with tamarind and coriander chutney.