on Aug 31, 2022, Updated Dec 07, 2023 If you are an eggplant fan, then here are some more easy Indian eggplant recipes that you can prepare for your everyday meals: Baingan Methi, Aloo Baingan, and Kalonji Baingan.
About Begun Bhaja
Begun Bhaja (Bengali-Style Fried Eggplant) is a traditional Bengali dish made by coating thick slices of eggplant in a spicy rice flour mixture and shallow-frying them in hot mustard oil until crisp. Begun Bhaja and Khichuri are a perfect combination and are loved by all Bengalis. You can also serve it as a side dish with Dal Rice, Aloo Bhaja, Fish Curry, and Luchi. Its crispy texture also makes it a perfect evening snack. Try to choose a male eggplant with fewer seeds and less bitter. You can check male and female brinjals by looking at the indentations at the bottom. Females have long indentations, while males have round. Rice Flour – Rice flour gives a perfect crispy texture. You can replace rice flour with chickpea flour (besan), all-purpose flour (maida), white poppy seeds (khus khus), or fine semolina (sooji). Mustard Oil – For the authentic traditional Bengali flavor, use only mustard oil to make this dish. But if you do not prefer the strong flavor of mustard oil, you can use any cooking oil you choose. Spices – You will need basic spices such as turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, and salt. You can also add a little amchur powder (dry mango powder) or chaat masala powder to the rice flour mixture to give it some tang. Some people add garam masala powder, Roasted Cumin Powder, and coriander powder to their spice mix. Sugar – A little sugar is added to balance the flavors. Note – Keep the brinjal slices soaked in water until ready to use; otherwise, they will turn black from oxidation. The best thing to do is to cut the eggplant just before you are ready to cook it. Wipe the slices dry with a kitchen towel if they are soaked in water to remove any excess water.
½ teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder ¼ cup rice flour 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt
Heat 2-3 tablespoon of mustard oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side. Transfer the fried baingan to a plate lined with paper tissues to remove the extra oil. Serve hot. Fry the remaining slices in the same manner. You can cut long slices instead of round ones, and then it’s called Lomba Begun Bhaja. You can skip coating the brinjal in rice flour and fry it with spices. It will be a little oily, though. Adding a teaspoon of sugar and spices gives a nice caramelized texture to the brinjal after frying. Fry the brinjal in mustard oil to get a unique taste.
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