Friday 17 July 2009

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 ! :-)

27 comments:

  1. Many of the people think staying at home means we do nothing.....i don't know why? baigan ki bhajji as we call it....looks yummylicious.....

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  2. I had a hearty laugh at your story! And the way he disappeared when you gave a look at his plate...
    I love your baigun fry! Its my husband's favorite food... I think he will happily eat it everyday...
    What awesome clicks... Looks great.
    Enjoy your weekend and hope you don;t have to spend any further time with bores...

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  3. Laughing at your post and it is so true, I have heard this attitude too many times to count ! The fried eggplants look fantastic a little like the south Indian bhajji, would have been perfect for a rainy day :-)

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  4. How could you do this to your readers?
    I was reading your post and getting constantly distracted by the sight of these yummy begunis. I havent had them for months and had a tough time concentrating on the words.
    I understand the kind of people you are describing. Aur bhabhiji, aajkal bas ghar mein hi? I swear they get on my nerves.

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  5. Sometimes it's just plain curiosity or maybe trying to make small conversation, I think. But this sure sounded like the other (read annoying) knda querying. Loved how u got rid of him! :)
    The fritters look crunchy & yum, S!

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  6. Are...aur bolo yaha bi bahat chalta hai ..I endup always with aur bolo...batau..kya chal raha hai :)...nice post...lol and began pakoda looking so gud...

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  7. He he nice story... lovely click baigan ki bhaji is looking so awesome and tempting

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  8. he he sharmila... now i definitely know i am going to be your friend.. i think its the later that bug this crowd.. that u are not participating in their nothingness. I have started understanding people more, & these days with hardly anytime at hand, i plainly am rude & turn away & go & sit in corner & next time just don't take their invites & calls.. LOL feeling really happy reading this post, i can just imagine their inability to understand how one cannot get bored at home:-)

    ahaaa... beguni;-) aaji banabo, weekend.. i still remember the time when i was really little & the biye bari still used to serve the long begunis.. i would eat only those..a non bong he is but this is a favorite with my FIL too.

    sorry hogged a lot of your space.

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  9. this is my alltime favorite...once a month regular in my kitchen!!
    half the basket gets over when im frying them..anil doesnt like bhaingan...but loves the fry!!!!

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  10. LOL...i liked the way you made the dude dissapear...and i can so relate to the ghar pe baith kar bore nahin ho jaati....i feel like saying...aapko kya?? maybe i will ask one day..seriously!!

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  11. cha diye beguni..aaaahaaaa! fantastic post

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  12. Wonderful post Sharmila...I love the part where you show your two twisted teeth, how long do you display them??...hahahaha!!
    Hey the begunis are very tempting but here it is so hot that one cant enjoy them as you can being closer to mountains and rains and beautiful weather!! :(

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  13. What fantastic, tempting pics!

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  14. hi sharmila,
    Interesting post and a little comical too :)the varities of people bores/sane is life's interesting way of testing patience :) the best part of the whole thing is we have a choice to take it or leave it...just the way u got rid of the unwanted pest!!;)
    sharmila ur write up though simple covers the various interesting aspects of life!bravo!!
    BTW my hubby loves the bahajas and yeah this is the right time for completely freaking out on these at tea time/meal time :)
    Good one sweetie:) nice clicks!
    TC
    Happy weekend !!

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  15. Thanks KF! :-)

    Thanks Somoo! That was the best I could do discreetly. :-)

    Thanks Usha! :-)

    :-) Aparna! That line is hilarious! And I had clicked too many snaps and loved almost all of them ... so stuffed them in the post. :-)

    True Vani ... but this one is a regular ... else I wouldn't have given any attention. And thanks! :-)

    Thanks Priti! Nowadays 'aur bolo' is a joke between me and hubby .. if we are quiet for a longish time ... one of us says 'aur bolo' and we laugh. :-)

    Thanks Pavithra! :-)

    Thanks Soma! I do exactly that ... doesn't bother me if called unsocial too. :-)
    And this space is all yours to speak your mind. :-)
    Aaj e beguni baniye felo ... ekhane long begungulor kono taste e nei.

    Thanks Rush! :-)

    Thanks Rajitha! :-)

    Thanks Rakhee! Great to have you back again. :-)


    Thank Joyee! Ta bolbo na .. gojodontor kotha likhe felechi and that is bad enough. ;-)

    Thanks Bindiya! :-)

    Thanks Suparna! I have learnt to suffer fools ... if not too gladly ... but when it comes to my personal life and space that is discussed and opinionated on ... I do my own thing.

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  16. So glad that you had the nerve to make the person disappear. They deserver that attitude.
    Baingan ki bhajji looks delish!

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  17. Great post! and you're absolutely right some people force a conversation just to avoid uncomfortable silence at times. LOVE the eggplant pakoras, soooo perfect for those rainy evenings with a cup of steaming chai!

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  18. beguni with bitching... daroon :) I would so love to be bertie wooster with no 9 to 5 worries...but yes, it is difficult to find good friends as you grow up.

    My latest allowance to deep fries is olive oil...wonder if it helps

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  19. Hey sharmila protibesi mane gossip ... Ke ki kore na kore , ki holo na holo ... Ami jani & more of it their curiosity ...
    R ha beguni , I love it & perfect for rainy evening ...

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  20. Thanks RC! That was the best I could do without speaking or being rude. :-)

    Thanks Ranjani! Forced inane conversation does not disgust as much as unnecessary curiosity about other's lives. :-)

    I wasn't bitching Kalyan ... just spoke my mind about a fact that really bothers a lot of people. :-)
    I think you should check out the temperature allowance for olive oil ... heating it at too high temp. ... that is usually needed for Indian cooking ... is not good.

    Thanks Dolon! :-)

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  21. hey you reminded me of sooo many people around me...they are in abundance....and the most difficult thing is to be polite with them.

    okay...the begun bhaja is an all time winner but sadly Dilli is not allowing us to have this...no rain here...
    and i am following you for your two twisted teeth....

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  22. heheheheh..yeah this happens to me too sometimes, though I dont work from home, well i really dont know why people think there is no work at home, infact when i am at home i sometimes feel my office is much better :) I adora beguni..thanks for posting this!

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  23. Ugh, that guy sounds like a real pain in the you-know-what!
    Love those fried eggplants-- I try to limit deep-fried food, but every once in a while I do like to break out the kadai and the oil. What's life without some indulgence?

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  24. I really enjoyed your post, But it doesn't mean they said it seriously, it may be fun.

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  25. Thanks Sangeeta! :-) I know Dilli's horrible humidity in the rains ... and can imagine what it'll be like now without the rains. Take heart .. maybe the rains are just late. :-)

    Thanks Parita! I agree ... working from home is very difficult ... an office environment is welcome anyday. :-)

    Thanks Vaishali! Righto .. considering that we have never looked forward to the rains so badly like this year ... am indulging away. :-)

    Thanks Dinesh! There's nothing funny in being conciously & repetatively rude to people time after time. And I was not mentioning a passing incident but a regular one.

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  26. Sorry for the much delayed reply! I credited ur picture based on the watermark on ur picture. i did try sending you an email then but blogger was acting up and so decided to send it later. ofcourse procrastination got the best of us. its been a while since we've checked what has been up with our blog. Life got in the way! By the way, love your pics and the recipes..and sorry again. hope u can forgive a fellow foodie!

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  27. DS ... as long as you give credits to fellow bloggers no issues at all. :-)

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