Ingredients
Aubergine
- 3large aubergines
- 2 teaspoonssalt, for drawing
Batter
- 250 ggram flour, chickpea flour
- 50 grice flour
- 1 teaspoonground turmeric
- 1 teaspoonchilli powder
- 1 teaspoonground cumin
- 1 teaspoonground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoonbaking powder
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- a handful of coriander, chopped
- 3spring onions, sliced
- about 250 ml cold water
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- chilli chutney
- newspaper or paper bags
- a bread roll, optional
Directions
- Wash the aubergines and trim the stems. Slice them into rounds about five millimetres. Thin slices cook through in the time the batter takes. Keep the slices even in thickness. Lay the slices out across a tray. Salt them well on both of their sides. Leave them for twenty minutes.
- Rinse the salt off thoroughly afterwards. Pat every slice completely dry. Put the gram flour and rice flour in a bowl. Add all of the ground spices now.
- Add the baking powder and salt. Whisk them together thoroughly. Add cold water gradually while whisking. Stir in the coriander and spring onion. It should coat the back of a spoon thickly.
- Add water or flour a little at a time. Let it rest for a good ten minutes. Check it over again after resting. Frying them needs the right heat. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A drop of batter should sizzle up at once.
- Dip a slice fully into the batter. Let the excess drip off for a second. Do not crowd the pan at any point. Fry them for about three minutes. Turn them over as they colour. Judging them takes a look and a test.
- Break one open from the first batch. The aubergine inside should be soft. Lift them onto a wire rack over a tray. A rack keeps both sides crisp.
- Scatter a little salt over them while hot. Serving them is done immediately. Wrap them in paper as the stalls do. Serve chilli chutney alongside. They soften within about fifteen minutes.
Technique
- Brinzel is Mauritian Creole for aubergine, from the French bringelle, related to brinjal used across India and South Africa, all tracing back through Arabic and Persian.
- Gram flour is ground chickpea and contains no gluten, which is why the batter fries short and crisp rather than bready, and a little rice flour makes it crisper still.
- The slices must be cut thin, about five millimetres, since thick slices stay raw inside a browned coating.
Substitutions
- Cornflour stands in for rice flour and crisps the batter the same way.
- Any thinly sliced vegetable can be fried in the same batter.
Variations
- Gateau piment and gato arouille are fried in the same oil at the same stalls.
- Some stalls add curry leaves to the batter.
- Sliced potato and pumpkin are fried the same way.
History
Sold from oil drums at Mauritian roadside stalls beside gateau piment, wrapped in newspaper with chilli chutney.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gateau brinzel?
Gateau brinzel is a street food from Mauritius: aubergine slices dipped in spiced gram flour batter and deep-fried. Sold from oil drums at Mauritian roadside stalls beside gateau piment, wrapped in newspaper with chilli chutney.
How long does Gateau brinzel take to make?
Gateau brinzel takes 25 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 20 fritters. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Gateau brinzel?
Yes, within limits. Cornflour stands in for rice flour and crisps the batter the same way. Any thinly sliced vegetable can be fried in the same batter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gateau brinzel?
Add water or flour a little at a time. Let it rest for a good ten minutes. Check it over again after resting. Frying them needs the right heat. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A drop of batter should sizzle up at once.
