BENGALI EGGPLANT FRY

 

 

The Bengali eggplant fry is a very popular dish in the state of West Bengal and is commonly known as the Begun bhaja. Begun means the eggplant or aubergine or brinjal and bhaja in Bengali means fried. This is a side dish that can be eaten with rice and fish curry or chapattis or just as a snack. It also makes a good appetizer.

 

The authentic method requires the eggplants to be deep fried but many shallow fry it. Some call it the melancholy fruit as all around the world this talent less eggplant is cooked in many ways- batter-fried, crescents fried, roasted, broiled or boiled and mashed. Making it one of the most congenial and versatile fruit.

 

Bengali cuisine is characterized by the use of mustard oil and their spices. The specialty of Bengali food lies in the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors. For Bengalis, food is one of the most essential aspects of their day to day lives. Ladies spend lot of time in the kitchen cooking delicious feast for the family. Bengalis also excel in the cooking of vegetables. They prepare a variety of the imaginative dishes using the many types of vegetables that grow here year round.

 

The Eggplant fry is one such innovative creation using fewer ingredients, easy to cook yet very delicious and exotic to taste. Come winter, India is flooded with plump, dark purple eggplants. In some parts of the country, the large, round variety of eggplants are also called Bhanta. 

 

Since eggplant oxidizes very quickly, make sure to cut the eggplant just before you are ready to cook it. An eggplant properly fried is a marvel of soft, delicate flesh in a tasty browned capsule. It is very simple to fry an eggplant correctly and obtain light, thoroughly cooked eggplants in a crispy exterior. Use black-skinned eggplants for best taste. The skin is left on as it becomes very tasty when fried, but not so much with violet and white eggplants.

 

Eggplant holds an esteemed place in many Indian and Mediterranean cuisines—caponata from Italy, ratatouille from Provence, moussaka from Greece, baba ghanouj from all over the Middle East, and myriad hot and cold dishes from Turkey, where eggplant is the king of vegetables.

 

Many cooks hesitate when it comes to eggplant as it soaks up most of the oil. So using few simple techniques for selection, preparation, and cooking, you'll be able to grill, roast, or fry eggplant to succulent, creamy perfection. Eggplant is a versatile fruit and you can make a variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes with it. Eggplant is high in fiber and is a great vegetable to include in your diet for maintaining good health. This versatile fruit is nutritionally rich in calcium, iron, protein, and Vitamins A, B12, and D.

 

To prepare this delicately delicious Bengali Eggplant fry, cut the eggplant into round slices about quarter inch thickness. Place them on a plate. In another plate for marinating add some chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix them well. Add little rice powder and mix all the ingredients well.

 

Apply this mixture to each cut eggplants and keep aside. The eggplant slices should be evenly coated with the mixture. In a moderately hot pan, pour some mustard oil (brings out the authentic flavor of the Bengali cuisine) and spread all over the pan. Now fry the coated eggplants and cook on a very slow heat on both sides turning the pieces over.

 

Remove the fried eggplants from oil onto a plate. Serve the eggplant fry with hot steamed rice and a simple yellow dal. Though the fried eggplant is used as a side dish with lentil, it also tastes wonderful with rice alone. Once you realize how beneficial eggplant is to your health, you may want to give more consideration to it becoming a regular part of your diet.

 

Hence would recommend that you view the making of this amazing dish at:

 

 

Eggplant a purple, glossy fruit that is cooked as a vegetable belong to the nightshade family which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes. They grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height. There are many varieties of eggplant, but the Black Magic variety which usually found in the U.S market was found to have three times the amount of antioxidant phenolics as compared to the other varieties.

 

In addition the phenolic acid in eggplant is also responsible for the eggplants slight bitter taste and the browning the results when the flesh is cut. Eggplants are available in markets throughout the year, but they are at their very best from August through October when they are in season. Eggplant is loaded with vitamins and minerals, but its health benefits extend beyond just adding vital nutrients to a meal. Eggplant contains other compounds that promote good health as well, even to the point of helping to prevent cancer and lowering cholesterol.

 

 

                                        Bengali Eggplant Fry

Author : Admin

Published On : Nov 27, 2007

Preparation Time: 7 min

Recipe Type : Veg-Main

Cooking Time : 25 min

Standing Time : 5-8 mins

Yield : 4 (4 servings)

Ingredient : Brinjal Eggplant Aubergene

Description : big brinjal seasoned and fried

Recipe of Bengali Eggplant Fry

 

Ingredient Name	Unit	Quantity
chilli pdr	pinch	1
eggplant	number	1
mustard oil	to fry	1
rice flour	pinch	1
salt	pinch	1
turmeric	pinch	1

Directions | How to make Bengali Eggplant Fry
First cut the eggplan into round. For marination add chilli powder, turmuric, salt mix well, rice flour apply this mixture to cut eggplants and keep aside. Now take a non stick pan add oil spread over all the pan,now add the coated brinjal and cook on very slow flame both the sides.