Begun Bhaja - Eggplant Recipes

Begun Bhaja is one of the most popular dishes of Bengal. There are a lot of variations to cook this fried eggplants, but I prefer to cook them in less oil, as eggplants soaks a lot of oil while frying. You can also deep fry them in mustard oil. During the Pujas and any other Bengali occasions, Begun Bhaja is a must have with Khichuri and Papad Bhaja. Or else, simply you can have them with roti or puri whenever you want. It is an easy and very quick to make recipe.

Image : Begun Bhaja

Important :

Preparation Time : 5 minutes
Cooking Time : 10 minutes (each batch)
Total Time : 15 minutes
Serve For : 3-4

Ingredients :

Eggplant or Begun or Baingan (1 big) /slice them into rings
Salt (to taste)
Sugar (to taste)
Turmeric Powder (1-2 tsp)
Cumin Powder (1 tsp)
Amchur Powder or Dry Mango Powder (1 tsp)
Oil (1 tbsp) /here I have used Olive Oil, you can also use Mustard Oil for frying

Direction :

Slice the eggplant, wash them and pat dry.
Marinate them with turmeric powder, cumin powder, amchur powder, salt and sugar.
Coat them very well with all the dry spices and keep for 10-15 minutes.
Drizzle oil in a shallow pan. Put the marinated eggplant pieces on the pan and fry them on low flame.
Keep pressing them with a spoon while frying the eggplants. It helps them to cook faster.
Flip the slices and cook other side.
Be patient while frying them. If you want a perfect fried eggplant which is crispy from outside and juicy and soft from inside, you have to cook them on low flame.
When cooked, the flesh will become tender and soft.
Fry them till become golden brown and crisp from both the sides.
When done, place them on a paper towel.
Serve hot.