Chef Kunal Kapur shares crispy, golden baingan pakoda recipe to enjoy in monsoons: See step-by-step preparation

The baingan pakoda is a popular street food that requires very few ingredients to make, and is the perfect guilty pleasure to indulge in during rainy evenings.

Baingan pakoda, also known as beguni, is a popular snack found at almost every street corner of Kolkata. It is one of the most delicious ways to prepare aubergine, making it an all-season favourite of many. Whether one pairs it with puffed rice or a cup of warm tea, the taste is hard to beat.

Taking to Instagram on August 9, celebrity chef and MasterChef India judge Kunal Kapur shared the recipe to help prepare the same at home. Describing the dish, he wrote in the caption, “Crispy, golden and perfectly spiced - baingan pakoda is the kind of monsoon snack that makes rainy evenings feel instantly better!”

The recipe takes approximately 20 minutes to make and serves four. The detailed steps are presented as follows.

Ingredients for baingan pakoda

• Gram flour – 1 cup
• Salt – to taste
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric – ½ tsp
• Kasoori methi powder – ½ tsp
• Ajwain – ¾ tsp
• Water – 1 cup
• Brinjal, medium (aubergine/eggplant) – 2
• Salt – a generous pinch
• Chaat masala – 2 tsp
• Chilli powder – 1 tsp
• Oil – for deep frying

For serving:

• Chaat masala – to taste

Method of preparation

1. Wash and slice the brinjal: Wash the brinjal thoroughly, then slice it into thin rounds.
2. For the batter, in a mixing bowl, add the chickpea flour (besan), salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, kasoori methi powder, and ajwain. Mix these dry ingredients well. Gradually add water while whisking the mixture to form a smooth batter.
3. Sprinkle salt, chaat masala, and chilli powder on both sides of the sliced baingan.
4. Dip each eggplant slice into the batter, making sure it's coated evenly on both sides. Allow any excess batter to drip off.
5. Carefully place the coated eggplant slices into the hot oil one by one. Fry the pakoras until they are golden brown and crispy. Flip them occasionally for even frying. Remove the fried pakoras and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
6. The hot and crispy baingan pakoras are ready to be served.

More about Kunal Kapur

Kunal Kapur is a celebrity chef and restaurateur who is also one of the hosts of MasterChef India. Born in September 1979 in New Delhi, he pursued higher education in hotel management. However, his training in culinary skills began at home with his father and grandfather. He began his career with the Taj Group of Hotels and has since won numerous awards as a chef. He has also opened his own establishments across the country and abroad.

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