Begun pora recipe | Begun bhorta | Bengali baingan ka bharta

Begun pora recipe aka begun bhorta is a classic Bengali recipe which is immensely popular among Bengalis. In this preparation brinjal and tomatoes are roasted and mixed with chopped onion, coriander leaves, green chillies, salt and some mustard oil . It is mostly relished with plain rice but can be paired up with flatbread.

About the recipe
Health Benefits of Eggplant
How to make Begun Pora (step wise photos)
Recipe Card

The name begun pora is a Bengali name where ‘Begun’ stands for eggplant or brinjal or aubergine, whichever you prefer to call it and ‘pora’ means roasted.

Eggplants play a vital role in Bengali culinary. Whenever it comes to a Bengali recipe, whether it’s vegetarian or non-vegetarian, eggplants are always there to play a prime role. It is used to prepare many recipes like simple fry or delectable veg curries or fish recipes and many more. But the roasted eggplant aka begun pora is not limited to Bengali cuisine. There are multiple cuisines which have their own version of Begun bhorta aka baingan ka bharta.

Baingan ka bharta is a hugely popular recipes for eggplant curry throughout India and is prepared in different varieties in different states of the country with their own regional flavour and style of cooking. Punjabi baingan ka bharta, UP style baingan ka bharta are the few popular variations other than Bengali begun pora.

I have already shared punjabi style baingan ka bharta with you in my previous post where I mentioned about Bengali style begun pora recipe. So here we go. Today, I have come up with the authentic begun bhorta recipe which is regularly prepared in Bengali households.

As a Bong, I always had begun pora since my childhood. In our house, it is considered a Shoni-Mongol bar recipe. Yes, according to many Bengalis, begun pora recipe can be prepared only on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Saturdays are veg days in our house. So, whenever my mom used to prepare this Bengali delicacy on Saturdays, she never used to add onions and garlic to it. For a Bong, niramish day means no onion no garlic day. The usage of onion and garlic is completely prohibited during those days. But I don’t like the niramish version much. I always prefer begun vorta with onion and garlic.

Earlier, my mom used to prepare begun pora recipe during the winter season when fresh fleshy eggplants are easily available in the market. But now a day’s eggplants are easily available all throughout the year and people can enjoy this healthy delight any time.

Begun pora is a very simple and easy recipe and gets prepared very quickly. It is a full-proof recipe and there are minimal chances of it getting wrong. In fact, according to me, it could be a perfect dish to cook for a novice. To prepare this palatable dish, very limited and easily available ingredients are required. I have learnt this signature dish from my Mom, and she got this recipe from her mom. So, you can easily consider it a 100-year-old recipe. Isn’t it interesting?

Traditionally, begun pora recipe was prepared in firewood during winter. At that time, people used to sit around the fire in circles and used to do chit-chat and heat their palms. I have seen my Granny prepare begun pora during those conversations. She used to fire wood with some brick boundaries and on that open flame, she used to roast the Brinjals aka Eggplants. Then after peeling the charred skin of the brinjal, she used to add chopped onions, green chillies, cilantros and mustard oil and mix everything together.

Whenever I talk about begun pora, I always feel nostalgic. I have so many good memories of this recipe. The first time, I prepared this recipe was when I used to stay in PG. At that time, I had just finished my B.Tech and used to work in Bangalore. By then, I was not an expert cook and always tried to find effortless recipes. I asked my mom over the phone to suggest me an easy recipe. She advised me to prepare Begun pora. After preparing the recipe, when I shared the dish with my PG mates, everyone loved the preparation. Since then begun pora recipe has become part and parcel of our life.

• First, its unmatchable flavour, texture and taste.
• It is a super easy recipe which gets prepared very quickly.
• It is one of the most versatile dishes which can be relished with both rice items and flatbreads.
• It requires minimal ingredients and lesser arrangement to get prepared.
• It is a very light and healthy dish.

Begun pora recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the “Instructions” section. But before jumping into the recipe, I would like to share a few interesting facts about the hero ingredients of the recipe.

• Eggplants or aubergines are rich in nutrients.
• They are a good source of vitamins and minerals.
• They contain a 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 calories which makes them excellent for weight loss.

To prepare begun pora recipe, it is very important to roast the aubergines properly with lots of patience. First, wash the aubergines properly and pat them dry. Then give cuts on the body of the eggplants and tuck garlic cloves and green chillies into it. You can apply some oil to the eggplants before putting on the flame or barbeque.

It is roasted on the open flame of a gas stove till the skin chars and it has become tender from the inside. Eggplants should always be roasted on medium flame because sometimes if it is roasted on high flame, they may remain uncooked from the inside. It takes an average of 10 minutes to roast each eggplant properly. It must be turned in every 2 minutes to roast evenly. For begun bharta, you should use eggplants with stems. The stem would allow you to hold the Aubergine properly and ensure that it is roasted properly from all sides.

If you have doubts about whether the eggplants are properly roasted or not, you can go for a fork test. If the fork goes inside the eggplant smoothly, then it is done and if not then roast it for a few more minutes and repeat the test again.

The secret behind the popularity of this dish is its unique taste and smokey flavour which you will never get through any shortcut. Neither microwaved nor oven-baked aubergines can give you the authentic flavour. I have tried both the ways. I won’t say that it has come up disastrous but is quite different both in taste and flavour. For a perfect begun pora recipe, begun aka eggplants must be cooked on open flame. You can also get the beautiful smokey aroma by barbequing them.

Next put tomatoes on medium flame and roast them. Turn the tomatoes in every 1 to 1½ minutes. Tomatoes take lesser time to get roasted. For me, it took around 4-5 minutes. Roast it until char occur on the skin.

Immediately peeling off the skin of roasted eggplants and tomatoes is quite risky because they are piping hot from the inside. So, always allow them to cool down before starting to peel off. Peeling the charred skin of roasted eggplants is a really messy task. So, I always use gloves for this job. After peeling the skin, you can wash the eggplant in running water to completely remove the rest of the small char skin which gets stuck on the body. Then cut the stem of the eggplant.

Take the eggplants and tomatoes on a separate plate and mash them. Add chopped onions, coriander leaves, green chillies, salt and mustard oil, one by one into the plate and mix them nicely. Serve the Bengali delicacy with hot steamed rice and sometimes with roti as well and enjoy.

Many Bengali veg recipes with eggplant have already been shared in my previous post. You can check a few of them like

Doi begun
Shorshe Begun
Begun posto
Begun bhaja

..And Many more…

• 2 Begun aka Eggplants
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 4 green Chillies
• ½ teaspoon Mustard Oil, to apply on eggplants

• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped
• 1 green Chilli, chopped
• 4 tablespoons chopped Coriander leaves
• 1-2 tablespoons Mustard oil
• Salt to taste

1. Wash the eggplant properly and pat dry them. Then give cuts on the body of the eggplants and tuck garlic cloves and green chillies into it. You can apply some oil to the eggplants before putting on the flame or barbeque.
2. Put the eggplant on a grill and put it on medium flame. It takes an average of 10 minutes to roast each eggplant properly. It must be turned in every 2 minutes to roast evenly. For begun bharta, use eggplants with stems. The stem would allow you to hold the eggplant properly and ensure it is roasted properly from all sides. Note: If the eggplant is roasted in high flame, it may remain uncooked from inside.
3. If you have doubt whether the eggplants are properly roasted or not, you can go for a fork test. If the fork goes inside the eggplant smoothly, then it is done and if not then roast it for a few more minutes and repeat the test again.
4. Next, put the tomato on the grill and put it on medium flame to roast it. Turn the tomatoes in every 1 to 1½ minutes. Tomatoes take lesser time to get roasted. For me, it took around 4-5 minutes. Roast it until char occur on the skin. Note: Immediate peeling off the skin of roasted eggplants and tomatoes is quite risky. Because they are piping hot from inside.
5. Allow the eggplant and tomato to cool down before peeling off the skin.
6. Peel off the skin of the tomato and eggplant. You can wash the eggplant in running water to completely remove the rest of the small char skin which gets stuck on the body. Then cut the stem of the eggplant.
7. Take the eggplants and tomatoes on a separate plate and mash them.
8. Add chopped onions, 4 tablespoons coriander leaves, 1-2 green chillies, salt and 1½ tablespoons mustard oil one by one into the plate and mix it nicely.
9. Serve the Bengali delicacy with hot steamed rice and sometimes with rota as well and enjoy.

Transfer the begun pora into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Pair up the classic dish with hot steamed rice and enjoy your comfort meal.

Begun pora recipe | Begun bhorta | Bengali baingan ka bharta

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

To roast the eggplant

• 2 Begun aka Eggplants
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 4 green Chillies
• ½ teaspoon Mustard Oil, to apply on eggplants

Other ingredients

• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 small Onion, finely chopped
• 1 green Chilli, chopped
• 4 tablespoons chopped Coriander leaves
• 1-2 tablespoons Mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Wash the eggplant properly and pat dry them. Then give cuts on the body of the eggplants and tuck garlic cloves and green chillies into it. You can apply some oil to the eggplants before putting on the flame or barbeque.
2. Put the eggplant on a grill and put it on medium flame. It takes an average of 10 minutes to roast each eggplant properly. It must be turned in every 2 minutes to roast evenly. For begun bharta, use eggplants with stems. The stem would allow you to hold the eggplant properly and ensure it is roasted properly from all sides. Note: If the eggplant is roasted in high flame, it may remain uncooked from inside.
3. If you have doubt whether the eggplants are properly roasted or not, you can go for a fork test. If the fork goes inside the eggplant smoothly, then it is done and if not then roast it for a few more minutes and repeat the test again.
4. Next, put the tomato on the grill and put it on medium flame to roast it. Turn the tomatoes in every 1 to 1½ minutes. Tomatoes take lesser time to get roasted. For me, it took around 4-5 minutes. Roast it until char occur on the skin. Note: Immediate peeling off the skin of roasted eggplants and tomatoes is quite risky. Because they are piping hot from inside.
5. Allow the eggplant and tomato to cool down before peeling off the skin.
6. Peel off the skin of the tomato and eggplant. You can wash the eggplant in running water to completely remove the rest of the small char skin which gets stuck on the body. Then cut the stem of the eggplant.
7. Take the eggplants and tomatoes on a separate plate and mash them.
8. Add chopped onions, 4 tablespoons coriander leaves, 1-2 green chillies, salt and 1½ tablespoons mustard oil one by one into the plate and mix it nicely.
9. Serve the Bengali delicacy with hot steamed rice and sometimes with rota as well and enjoy.