Baingan Pakora

INGREDIENTS
5 to 6 small baingan/brinjals/ eggplant/aubergine
1 cup besan/gram flour
⅔ cup water or add as required
a generous pinch of asafoetida/hing
¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
¼ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
½ tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
½ tsp cumin powder/jeera powder
a pinch of baking soda
salt as required
oil for deep frying

METHOD
In a mixing bowl take take the dry ingredients - 1 cup besan/gram flour, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder and a generous pinch of asafoetida. also add salt.
add ⅔ cup water or as required.
whisk to a smooth batter without lumps. add water as required to make a medium consistency batter.
rinse and slice the baingan/brinjals thinly.
dip the baingan slices in the batter evenly.
gently place them in medium hot oil for frying.
turn over when one side is cooked partly.
after a minute or so, flip again and fry the baingan pakoras till crisp and evenly golden.
with a slotted spoon remove the pakoras and drain as much oil as possible.
place the pakoras on a paper kitchen towel to remove excess oil. fry the pakoras in batches this way.
serve the baingan pakoras hot or warm with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.