Begun Bhaja

Description


Fried eggplant. One of the simplest dishes you can ever find here, every east Indian eats it at least once a week. This delicious dish is crispy from outside and soft from inside, brimming with the delicate flaovour of eggplant or brinjal as called in India. I will never forget my aunt's meal of hot dal rice and begun bhaja in Kolkata. My mom also makes them for me.

Ingredients

 * eggplant (Preferably big-sized dark-coloured spotless and with very few seeds. Good quality of eggplant is essential to this dish).
 * salt
 * turmeric powder
 * mustard oil (kachhi ghani or unrefined country oil preferred)
 * a pinch of sugar

Directions

 * 1) Cut the brinjals into 2cm thick slices.
 * 2) Stab the slices on their faces with a knife in various places - the more, the better.
 * 3) Rub thoroughly with salt, sugar (a pinch) and turmeric powder. The sugar is added not for taste but to remove the sappiness of the brinjals.
 * 4) Keep it in the direct sunlight (at noon) for 15 min.
 * 5) Heat mustard oil in a pan and deep-fry them till they become dark brown.
 * 6) Garnish with sliced green chilly. Goes well with steamed rice, naans, bread (sandwich), puris etc.