Oven Baked, Low Fat Aubergine (Brinjal) Disks

Aubergine happens to be one of my favourite vegetables, that is heavily underused in most cuisines! So here's a DIY version I came up with that's easy to make as a snack, or to be enjoyed with lentils and rice (paruppu sadham/varan bhaath/dal chaawal)

Prep Time: 5-8 mins
Rest Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• Aubergine/Brinjal [1 big/4 small] (Big or small doesn't matter)
• Tortilla Chips [Handful] {If not available, substitute with unsweetened corn flakes}
• Eggs [2]
• Chilli Powder
• Coriander Powder
• Cumin Powder
• Turmeric Powder
• Roasted Garlic Powder {Optional}
• Ginger Garlic Paste {Very little/can do away with all together}
• Lemon Juice
• Salt

Prep:

• Rinse aubergine thoroughly and cut into approximately 1 inch disks
• Immerse the cut disks in a bowl of salt water such that all the pieces are fully submerged
• Cover and let it rest for 20 mins
• In a bowl add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and the garlic element (either garlic powder or half tsp ginger garlic paste)
• Mix well and keep aside. The quantity of each spice is up to personal preference, so feel free to experiment with it!
• Take the tortilla chips/corn flakes in a zip lock bag and crush into fine crumbs. Use a chapathi rolling pin to make life easier. How fine/coarse you want it is up to you!
• Lay out the crumbs onto a flat, dry plate
• Whisk both eggs into a bowl

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Baking:

• Pre-heat oven to 425F (220C)
• Line a baking tray with silver foil and spread 4-5 drops of oil onto the entire surface of the foil
• Remove the aubergine from the salt water and lay on a dry towel
• Pick up disks in stacks of 4-5 and squeeze out the water back into the salt solution by squeezing the circular parts of the stack between your palms. 
• Wipe the aubergine dry
• Dip each disk into the eggs and drain out excess egg fluids while taking it out
• Place the egg coated aubergine disk in the tortilla crumbs and coat both sides
• Egg, Crumbs coated disks go onto the tray and the tray goes in the oven for 20 mins

Et Voila! C'est tout!