Spicy Eggplant Bites with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Spicy Eggplant/Baingan Bites are crispy, golden brown eggplant/baingan fritters, coated in a thick layer of a spicy mixture of breadcrumbs/crushed cornflakes flavored with crushed chilli flakes and dried Italian seasoning. Serve it with thick homemade marinara sauce or even tomato ketchup for a quick snack or appetizer.

Any party or your routine evening snack break is never complete without something to munch on with every sip of your hot chai or coffee!! It could be some cookies, biscuits or a favorite of most Indians, something deep fried like aloo bondas, cheesy bread bondas or even baked French Fries.

With winter still hanging around and with windy cool days and chilly nights, nothing can warm you up more than something hot and crunchy to munch on. On my last trip to the grocery store, I came across this fresh huge black eggplant and the first thing my husband said was “Eggplant Parmesan”!!!

Eggplant parmesan is a classic Italian dish made with slices of eggplant breaded and deep fried or baked, smothered with marinara sauce (a tomato-based Italian sauce) and lots of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese, then baked till the cheese melts to a ooey-gooey delight; a slice of Italian cuisine on your plate!!

The eggplant was so huge; I decided to use half of it for Eggplant Parmesan and the other half to make these crispy, crunchy Eggplant Bites! They are so tasty, especially with the homemade marinara sauce (recipe here); even a picky eater or someone who does not like eggplant will relish it!

This amazing dish does need a bit of prep work, but I promise you, it is worth the effort. Slices of eggplant are salted to remove excess moisture, dredged in flour, milk (instead of eggs), spiced breadcrumbs (with chilli flakes and Italian seasoning) and deep fried to golden brown perfection. I used a mixture of breadcrumbs and crushed cornflakes for extra crunch. Serve it with marinara sauce (or with tomato ketchup) and you have an exotic Italian appetizer or starter to serve at your next party or when guests drop by!

Fry up these delicious Spicy Eggplant Bites today and do let me know how they turned out in the comments below or on my Facebook page.

Yum

Spicy Eggplant Bites with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 3-4

Spicy Eggplant/Baingan Bites are crispy, golden brown deep fried slices of eggplant, coated in a thick layer of a spicy mixture of breadcrumbs/crushed cornflakes flavored with crushed chilli flakes and dried Italian seasoning. Serve it with thick homemade marinara sauce or even tomato ketchup for a quick snack or appetizer.

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant/baingan
All-purpose flour/maida
Milk for dipping the eggplant slices
2 cups of dried bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes
1 teaspoon Chilli flakes
½ teaspoon Dried Italian seasoning
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Marinara sauce or Tomato Sauce for dipping

Instructions

Wash and slice the eggplant into slices (about ¼ inch to ½ inch slices).
Lay them on a baking sheet or pan.
Sprinkle both the sides with salt evenly. Leave in pan to release the moisture, for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the breading mixture:
Crush cornflakes in a small blender.
In a 3 separate bowls, place some flour, milk and breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes (I had some breadcrumbs leftover from the pinwheel sandwiches I had make earlier so I mixed them with crushed cornflakes).
Stir about 1 teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes and ½ teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning into the cornflakes or breadcrumbs.
Pat dry the eggplant slices with a tissue paper or paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Heat some oil for deep frying.
Working one at a time, dip the slices first in flour, then milk and then coat evenly with the cornflakes-breadcrumbs mixture; make sure both the sides of the slices are well coated.
Once again, dip in milk and breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly. If you want a thicker crust for the eggplant bites, dip more time in milk and breadcrumb mixture.
Place in a separate plate.
Once the oil is hot, deep fry the coated and breaded eggplant slices in batches of 3 till golden brown, flipping over in between.
Place in a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
Serve hot, crispy and spicy eggplant bites with homemade marinara/spaghetti sauce, ketchup or your favorite sauce.
Enjoy!!!!

Notes

If you don’t have Italian spices, use any spice you like.

Breadcrumbs, cornflakes or a mixture of both gives good crunch to these delightful fritters.

Feel free to add garlic powder or even cheese powder in the breadcrumbs for added flavor.

If you do not relish the idea of deep frying, shallow fry them or you can even bake them

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How to make Spicy Eggplant Bites with step-by-step Method:

Wash and slice the eggplant into slices (about ¼ inch to ½ inch slices).
Lay them on a baking sheet or pan.

Sprinkle both the sides with salt evenly. Leave in pan to release the moisture, for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the breading mixture:

Crush cornflakes in a small blender.

In a 3 separate bowls, place some flour, milk and breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes (I had some breadcrumbs leftover from the pinwheel sandwiches I had make earlier so I mixed them with crushed cornflakes).
Stir about 1 teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes and ½ teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning into the cornflakes or breadcrumbs.

Pat dry the eggplant slices with a tissue paper or paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Heat some oil for deep frying.
Working one at a time, dip the slices first in flour, then milk and then coat evenly with the cornflakes-breadcrumbs mixture; make sure both the sides of the slices are well coated.
Once again, dip in milk and breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly. If you want a thicker crust for the eggplant bites, dip more time in milk and breadcrumb mixture.
Place on a separate plate.

Once the oil is hot, deep fry the coated and breaded eggplant slices in batches of 3 till golden brown, flipping over in between.
Place on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
Serve hot, crispy and spicy eggplant bites with homemade marinara/spaghetti sauce, ketchup or your favorite sauce.