Beguni / Batter Fried Eggplants

"Aur bolo..." .... persisted the pest for the nth time. The husband gives a pained smile for the nth time. I look away.

How I hate it when people have nothing to talk about and try to satisfy their curiosity under the garb of making conversations. And how I hate going to such gatherings.

"Aur kya chal raha hai ...." ... and then not to give up .... " Who sits next to you in office these days? " ... "What happened to so and so? Heard such and such happened to him/her! Is it true? " .... and then after a pause when there was no satisfactory reply .... " Aur bolo ...."

Ugghhhh! But no ... pests are pests.
Suddenly finds out that yours truly exists. So turns to me. "Aur aapka kaisa chal raha hai ..." I give my politest smile and thank him. "Aaj kal kya kar rahi ho? "
" Pura din ghar mein kya karte ho? .... come over to our place sometime ... my wife is also doing nothing ... just sitting at home".

Another polite smile .... I even show my two twisted teeth that is so typical of Bengali girls .... see ... am smiling still. Hubby can't call me ill mannered.

Let me mention that inspite of most people knowing that I work from home most of the time .... I face this question a lot. Unless a person has an "office" or "company" name as a tag, s/he is not considered as a proffessional. Infuriates me to no end.

So I have started being gleefully adamant at not providing an answer to this particular question at all . :-)
They stare at me after asking ... I smile back at them. Just love to see them squirm. ;-)



The ladies are not that subtle. " Ghar mein pura din reh kar pagal nahi ho jati kya? " One of them even suggested once that I sell off the huge number of books that are all over in my house .... so that I can buy new books ..... just to pass time.

Well ... I am usually very tolerant .... but the books here of here are my collections of the condensed classic novels selection by the Reader's Digest ... that I have so painstakingly collected over the years. :-(

I really don't understand what troubles them more .... the fact that am happy in my home ... or that I don't join them for their gossip sessions or their kitty parties ... or the fact that the both of us are so comfortable with each other that we don't need to tolerate insolent company just for the sake of having company.

When I was young, I would make friends based upon what and how much a person can converse on. Most could not go beyond movies. After I grew up, I have come across worse people .... and really missed the ones who just discussed movies.

Well .... maybe I am expecting too much. Or am I ?



A friend had once declared that if we want to have a huge self confidence or a permanent feeling of superiority, the easiest thing to do is to surround ourselves with morons and idiots.
I had wanted to choke him then.
And I want to choke him still.

As for the aforementioned pest .... I was getting so sick of him that I really had to shut him up. Which I did ... with a look.

Just widened my big eyes bigger with a shocked look at his plate .... you see ... he is a glutton and weighs maybe 120 kgs. Disappeared with an inaudible mumble. ;-) Hee hee.



My recipe today is deep fried ... I know, I know .... deep fried stuff is bad ... unhealthy ... etc. etc.
But what with the weather turning so beautiful with the rains and a nip in the air ... I just have to have something crispy, spicy ... and well ... a little deep fried. :-)


Most of my regular friends here know how simple and healthy my recipes are. But I too indulge once in a while.
And nothing can beat the feel of moist cold on myself when am standing in my balcony or near a window .... and an occasional cloud passes by.
Oooohh .... awesome! Some hot crispy fried stuff then .... and I am in heaven!

Need : Fresh eggplant / brinjal, cut into roundels ( if it is too big, you can halve the roundels), 5 tbsp besan / gram flour, 2 tbsp rice flour, chilli powder, chaat masala [optional], salt to taste, water and cooking oil ( I used mustard oil as it is absorbed less ).



How to : Make a thick batter with the besan, salt, chilli powder and water. Heat enough oil in a kadhai or wok.

Dip a roundel in the batter and coat it well on both sides. When the oil is hot enough, gently slide them in one by one .... leaving enough space between them so that they don't stick to each other.

Fry on slow heat till they are brown on both sides.



Serve hot with some chilli powder and chaat masala sprinkled on them.
Enjoy with some hot tea !!

This is also a great accompaniment to the much loved Khichuri.
And is almost always served with the Bengali Bhog er Khichuri or the Prasad ki khichdi.

Have a great weekend all!
C'ya again soon ! :-)