Begun bhaja | Baingan bhaja | Begun bhaja bengali recipe | How to make baingan bhaja

Begun bhaja aka baingan bhaja is a pure Bengali delicacy which is prepared in almost every Bengali house. It is one of the most beloved and popular winter special traditional bengali food. Begun bhaja bengali recipe is a tender and juicy savoury delight with thin crispy outer coating where eggplant pieces are marinated with turmeric powder, salt, sugar and then shallow fried or deep fried in mustard oil. It is a versatile dish and can be relished with khichuri, dal-rice or as a side with phulko luchi, paratha or rooti.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of Eggplants
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Baingan bhaja (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

Begun bhaja is a Bengali name and its name explains the recipe. In Bengali, the word Begun stands for eggplant or aubergine and in Hindi its baingan and the word bhaja means fries. It is an old traditional recipe which is being prepared since ages in Bengali houses and has been winning millions of hearts.

In this preparation, eggplant or brinjal slices are marinated with turmeric powder, salt and sugar and then either shallow fried or deep fried in mustard oil. Normally, in traditional begun bhaja recipe, no rice flour or any other coating is used. It is a super simple recipe where you will get tender and juicy brinjal pieces with super thin crispy outer layer.

There is another variety of begun bhaja where eggplant slices are dipped in gram flour batter and deep fried till crispy. This type of begun bhaja is known as Beguni.

Begun bhaja is a comforting recipe where eggplant is cut into thick circular slices. Then the pieces are marinated with turmeric powder, salt, sugar and then shallow fried or deep fried in mustard oil until it gets cooked. It is served with khichuri, dal-rice or as a side with phulko luchi, paratha or rooti. But it is never served as snacks or appetizer.

On the other hand, for beguni the eggplant is thinly sliced lengthwise and then dipped in the gram flour batter and deep fried till crispy. Beguni can be served with khichuri or dal-rice and can also be served as snacks with muri aka puffed rice.

Begun bhaja aka baingan bhaja recipe is known for its unique taste and simplicity. As a Bengali, I have grown up eating this comforting delight and till now search for excuses to prepare the recipe. If you have never tried this recipe then I request you to at least try it once. I am sure it will not disappoint you.

Whenever I talk about begun bhaja recipe, it always makes me feel nostalgic. I have thousands of good memories with this simple and elegant toothsome. I still remember how my mother used to prepare it during winter days. She used to serve it mostly as a side with rice, dal or with khichuri and we used to devour that with immense pleasure. Sometimes, on weekends, she used to prepare phulko luchi and serve it with delectable baingan bhaja.

• Its vegan
• It is a super easy recipe which gets prepared within 30 minutes.
• Its unmatchable flavour, texture and taste.
• It is one of the most versatile dishes which can be relished with both rice items and flat breads.
• It requires minimal ingredients and lesser arrangement to get prepared.
• It is a very light and healthy dish.

Begun bhaja aka baingan bhaja is a very simple and easy recipe. It requires very limited ingredients which are easily available in any kitchen pantry. It is a pure Bengali delicacy, and the recipe reflects simplicity with elegance. The best part of the recipe is it gets prepared within 30 minutes without investing much effort.

Eggplant: The primary ingredient of the recipe which provides body to the recipe. Always choose long shaped, less seeded variety of eggplant for the recipe. Less seeded eggplants are lighter in weight as compared to seeded ones.

Salt & sugar: Both the ingredients provide salty and mildly sweet taste to the begun bhaja.

Turmeric powder: A basic spice which is used in almost every fry recipe. It provides nice colour to the dish.

Wheat flour (Optional): In traditional recipe, no flour is used. But addition of little bit of wheat flour aka atta resists the brinjal slices to soak excess oil.

Mustard oil: It is used to fry the marinated brinjal aka eggplant pieces. Usually, most of the Bengali recipes are cooked in mustard oil.

Begun bhaja with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below. If you follow each step of my recipe precisely then you will get perfectly crispy and tender baingan bhaja. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting facts about the recipe and the main ingredient of the recipe – begun aka eggplant aka brinjal or aubergine.

• Eggplants or Aubergines are rich in nutrients.
• They are good source of vitamins and minerals.
• They contain good number of antioxidants.
• Regular consumption of aubergines may reduce many health issues including blood sugar and cholesterol.
• They are high in fibre and low in calorie which makes it excellent for weight loss.

• Always choose less seeded long shaped eggplant variety for the recipe.
• Cut the eggplant into round pieces of 1 cm thickness. Make sure to cut the slices evenly with same thickness.
• After cutting the eggplant, keep them in water or else they will turn dark in colour.
• Always marinate the eggplant slices and keep it aside for 10 minutes. The eggplant slices will absorb the marination.
• Use little bit of sugar in the marination. It enhances the taste of begun bhaja.
• Add little bit of atta aka wheat flour into the marination. It resists the eggplant slices to absorb excess oil.
• Always fry the eggplant slices in mustard oil for better taste and flavour.
• Fry the eggplants in medium flame. In low flame, it will absorb excess oil and become soggy and in high flame it will become brown from outside and won’t get cooked from the centre.

Begun bhaja aka baingan bhaja recipe is a super versatile recipe which can be consumed in different ways with different main courses.

It is mostly served with khichuri or with dal-rice for lunch and it tastes heavenly. It is even served as a side with luchi, paratha or roti for breakfast or dinner.

To prepare the baingan bhaja, first cut the eggplant or brinjal into round pieces of 1 cm thickness. Make sure to cut the slices evenly with same thickness. Wash the slices and keep them on a separate plate.

On the other hand, take a small bowl and add salt, sugar, turmeric powder and little bit of wheat flour, one by one into the bowl. Mix all the ingredients and pour it over the eggplant slices. Coat each piece evenly with the mixture and keep it aside for at least 10 minutes.

Then put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add mustard oil and put the flame in high until the oil becomes hot and smoke comes out. Then turn flame to low and add the marinated eggplant slices into the pan. Fry them over medium flame till light brown patches occur. Then turn each piece with a turner and fry the other side in same way. Strain the begun bhaja and transfer them on a separate plate.

Many traditional Bengali food with eggplant have already been shared on my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Doi begun
Shorshe Begun
Begun diye palong shaak
Aar macher matha diye begun

..And Many more…

• 1 Eggplant aka Begun or Baingan
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Wheat flour aka atta
• ¼ cup Mustard oil to fry the eggplant pieces

1. First cut an eggplant or brinjal into round pieces of 1 cm thickness. Make sure to cut the slices evenly with same thickness. Wash the slices and keep them on a separate plate.
2. Take a small bowl and add ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon wheat flour, one by one into the bowl. Mix all the ingredients nicely.
3. Pour the mixture over the eggplant slices. Coat each piece evenly with the mixture and keep it aside for at least 10 minutes. The marination will release moisture and helps the eggplant pieces to absorb taste and flavour.
4. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add ¼ cup mustard oil and put the flame in high until the oil becomes hot and smoke comes out.
5. Turn flame to low and add the marinated eggplant slices (Step 3) into the pan. Don’t over crowd the pan. Fry them over medium flame for 3-4 minutes till golden brown patches occur. Then turn each piece with a turner and fry the other side in same way. Don’t fry them over high flame or else they won’t get cooked from centre.
   Note: You can flip the pieces once or twice in between during the time of frying for even cooking.
6. Strain the begun bhaja to get rid of excess oil and transfer them on a separate plate.

Transfer the begun Bhaja on a serving plate. Serve it with steamed Basmati rice, dal or khichuri and enjoy the authenticity of Bengal. Many people also have it as a side with luchi, paratha or roti.

Begun bhaja | Baingan bhaja | Begun bhaja bengali recipe | How to make baingan bhaja

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes 15 minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

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Ingredients

• 1 Eggplant aka Begun or Baingan
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Wheat flour aka atta
• ¼ cup Mustard oil to fry the eggplant pieces

Instructions

1. First cut an eggplant or brinjal into round pieces of 1 cm thickness. Make sure to cut the slices evenly with same thickness. Wash the slices and keep them on a separate plate.
2. Take a small bowl and add ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon wheat flour, one by one into the bowl. Mix all the ingredients nicely.
3. Pour the mixture over the eggplant slices. Coat each piece evenly with the mixture and keep it aside for at least 10 minutes. The marination will release moisture and helps the eggplant pieces to absorb taste and flavour.
4. Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add ¼ cup mustard oil and put the flame in high until the oil becomes hot and smoke comes out.
5. Turn flame to low and add the marinated eggplant slices (Step 3) into the pan. Don’t over crowd the pan. Fry them over medium flame for 3-4 minutes till golden brown patches occur. Then turn each piece with a turner and fry the other side in same way. Don’t fry them over high flame or else they won’t get cooked from centre.

Note: You can flip the pieces once or twice in between during the time of frying for even cooking.

6. Strain the begun bhaja to get rid of excess oil and transfer them on a separate plate.