Aubergine fritters are a favourite starter, street food or snack for the Bengali, while the rest of the world seems to make mixed vegetables or salads out of aubergines. Since salads aren’t as time consuming as battered aubergine fritters, I decided to modify the recipe inspired by Italian sauces.

My Italian inspired aubergines
My Italian inspired aubergines

Ingredients:

  • 1 large aubergine
  • 1 medium sized onion (roughly chopped)
  • 50 ml tomato paste
  • 10 ml garlic paste
  • as much of fresh basil as you can have
  • a few generous tablespoons of olive oil ( Aubergines are like sponges, they soak up a lot of oil)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation and Cooking (20 – 30 mins)

Slice the aubergine into thin discs and soak it in salt water, while you assemble the other ingredients. This process stops the aubergine from soaking up a lot of oil, when you bake or fry later. Mix the tomato, garlic and some of the olive oil together to form a smooth paste. Rub some olive oil at the bottom of the baking tray and line with chopped onions. Drain the water from the aubergines and dry them in a clean highly absorbent cloth or Kitchen towel. Line the tray with the aubergines and pour the tomato and garlic spread lavishly on it. Ensure that most of the aubergines are covered. Sprinkle generously with basil leaves. Bake the aubergines in a pre-heated oven at 150. About, 15 mins into baking time, flip the aubergines gently. When the discs start shrinking ,and take on a brownish colour and the onions start turning golden, turn off the heat.

Serving suggestion: serve as a salad or side Tapas style. I served it with lentils and rice.

Written by Amrita Dasgupta - Visit my blog for more food and travel stories
I love to travel, discover new things, experience new cultures and then I get back home and experiment with the new food and recipes I discovered on my travels. My blog is about all those life experiences. If you’ve enjoyed this post, keep in touch with Drifting Traveller on Twitter and Facebook or by adding my blog to your RSS feed. Follow my blog with Bloglovin or Networked Blogs! If you really like reading the Drifting Traveller why not share it with people you know who'd like to read it too.