Begun Bhaja
Thick coins of aubergine, rubbed with turmeric and salt, shallow-fried in smoking mustard oil until the edges are crisp and lacy and the centre yields like cream. The aroma is unmistakable: nutty mustard oil and caramelised aubergine skin, the smell of a Bengali rice plate.
Overview
Begun bhaja is the simplest, oldest and most loved of Bengali sides. Begun is the Bengali word for aubergine, bhaja means fried, and the dish is exactly what it sounds like: thick, round slices of aubergine, salted and turmericked, then shallow-fried in mustard oil. It is served on the rice plate alongside the dal, traditionally as the second course after shukto, and is eaten by pressing a slice with the back of the thumb onto a small mound of rice and dal. The dish has only four ingredients and yet there are countless mistakes a cook can make: slicing the aubergine too thin (it disintegrates), not resting it after salting (it spits in the oil and stays soggy), under-heating the mustard oil (it tastes raw and acrid), or flipping the slices too soon (they tear). Done properly, the slice should have a thin crisp shell from the natural sugars caramelising on contact with hot oil, and a yielding silky centre. Some households dust the slices with a little rice flour or semolina for an extra-crisp coat; the purist version uses nothing at all. The variety of aubergine matters too: the long pale lavender Bangladeshi begun or the round dark-purple kalo begun both work, but the slim Japanese aubergine does not give enough flesh. Begun bhaja is humble, fast and beloved across all classes and both sides of Bengal, served in Kolkata bhater hotels (rice canteens) and at Dhaka wedding feasts alike.
Ingredients
- 1 round aubergine (large, about 400 g)
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (optional, for colour)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar (optional)
- 2 tbsp rice flour (optional, for extra crispness)
- 6 tbsp mustard oil
Method
Stage 1 - Slice and season
- Cut the aubergine across into rounds 1 cm thick. Discard the stem end.
- Lay the slices in a single layer on a plate.
- Mix the turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub the mixture evenly over both sides of each slice.
- Rest for 15 minutes. The slices will sweat lightly.
- If using rice flour, blot the slices dry with kitchen paper and dust both sides lightly.
Stage 2 - Fry
- Heat the mustard oil in a flat-bottomed pan or kadai until it smokes, then lower the heat to medium.
- Lay the aubergine slices in the oil in a single layer, without crowding the pan.
- Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side until deep golden brown and crisp at the edges.
- Flip carefully with a flat spatula and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. The centre should be soft enough to pierce easily with a knife.
- Lift onto kitchen paper to drain briefly.
- Serve immediately, hot, on the rice plate with dal and steamed rice.
Notes
- Mustard oil is essential: This dish is defined by it. Heat to smoking point and then lower; never fry in cold oil or the slices will absorb it.
- Slice thickness: 1 cm is the sweet spot. Thinner and they crisp into chips; thicker and the centre stays raw.
- Resting after salting: Do not skip this. It draws out moisture and is what allows the slices to crisp rather than steam in the oil.
- Variations: Phulkopir bhaja (cauliflower florets) and aloo bhaja (matchstick potato) use exactly the same technique. The Bangladeshi version sometimes adds a little kalo jeere (nigella) to the oil before frying.
Storage
- Best eaten within an hour of frying; the crisp coat softens quickly.
- Not suitable for storing or freezing.
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