Description[]

Begun Bhaja
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[]
- Cut the brinjals into 2cm thick slices.
- Stab the slices on their faces with a knife in various places - the more, the better.
- 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.
- Keep it in the direct sunlight (at noon) for 15 min.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan and deep-fry them till they become dark brown.
- Garnish with sliced green chilly. Goes well with steamed rice, naans, bread (sandwich), puris etc.