Begun Bhaja | Bengali Style Baingan Bhaja | Eggplant Fries

Eggplants of various sizes make its appearance often in my kitchen in various forms.I use small brinjals for the dry or gravy based stuffed curries or dry curries like Aloo Baingan, Achari Baingan etc and medium long eggplants are used for dry curries or Eggplant Pasta or Vangibath where as the big eggplants(which we use for Baingan Bharta) or long Japanese Eggplants are used for Baingan Bharta or this Begun Bhaja.I like Brinjal based dishes very much and I like it in any form - simple stir fry or gravy or dry curry or rice or pasta or bharta.

Today I am posting a simple Bengali recipe - Begun Bhaja, the recipe is quite simple with the most minimal spices we use in our everyday cooking. It is very simple to prepare and tastes very much similar to Andhra's Vanakaya Vepudu but the look of the final dish is different.Also the addition of mustard oil makes it bit distinct in flavor compared to the simple stir fry. I prepare another Maharasthrian recipe called Vangyache Kaap which is almost similar like Begun Bhaja just that the former version has more spices compared to the latter version. I absolutely love both the versions.

Check out other tasty preparations with Eggplants:

• Eggplant Pakora with Chili Garlic Stuffing
• Rava Vangibath, Vangi Poha, Vangibath
• Brinjal-Soya Chunks Curry, Brinjal Stir fry-with Curry powder
• Bagara Baingan, Bharli Vangi, Kashmiri Dahi Baingan
• Vankaya Kobbari Karam, Vankaya Kothimeera Karam, Vankaya Ullipaya Karam
• Brinjal Sambar, Raw Mango-Brinjal Dal
• Eggplant Pasta

If you are interested check out Bengali style Vegetable Chops.

Begun Bhaja Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 20 mins

Cuisine: Bengali | Category: Side dish(Dry Curry)

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant(Bharta waala Baingan or Japanese Eggplants)

1 tbsp Rice flour

3/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

Salt, to taste

Mustard Oil/Any other Oil, to fry

Method:

• Wash and cut the aubergines into 1/2" roundels or of your desired size.Put them in water for 7-8 mins.This helps in removing the bitterness if any from the eggplants. Remove them and wipe them using a kitchen towel.

• Meanwhile in a broad plate add rice flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and 2 tsp oil and  everything nicely. You can skip rice flour at this step and dip the marinated eggplants later in it before frying.
• Now apply this mixture to the sliced eggplants on both the sides and let them marinate for 10 mins.

• Heat a flat tawa and add 1-2 tbsp mustard oil(or any other oil) and spread it and place the marinated eggplant roundels in a single layer.

• Let hem fry for 5-6 mins on medium flame and turn them gently to the other side and fry for another 5 mins. Do not overcrowd the pan if you have more eggplant slices, you can do in batches or in two pans simultaneously.

Serve them hot as a side dish for Rotis/Parathas or Rice.

Notes:

1. Rice flour can be mixed along with the spices or one can dip marinated slices in it before you fry eggplants.
2. If you like tangy and more chatpata add amchur powder and garam masala along with the other spices.
3. You can skip rice flour all together if you want.
4. You can also dip the marinated slices in fine sooji for crispy begun bhaja.
5. Mustard oil adds a nice flavor to the eggplants, if you like it do not skip it.

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