Begun Bhaja is a delightful Bengali snack made with eggplant. It is traditionally deep fried in mustard oil (most Bengali recipes use mustard oil for cooking). I avoid deep frying mostly for health reasons, but also because I’m not good at it. The few times that I tried deep frying, I ended up making a mess, so I decided that’s not for me. Works in my favor as it is not that healthy anyway. 😊
Picking Eggplant for Begun Bhaja
While eggplant is a great vegetable that can be cooked in several different ways, it is important that you pick the right one for the recipe you have in mind. For instance, when I cook stuffed eggplant I prefer to pick small, round, purple eggplants with green stalks. For Begun Bhaja I usually prefer a large but somewhat slim eggplant, again with a green stalk. This is a tip I got from my mom: green stalk means there are very few seeds. I dislike seeds in eggplants as they mess with the flavor and get stuck in the teeth.
Begun Bhaja
Begun Bhaja is an easy snack recipe that can also work as an appetizer or a side dish. It is an easy recipe with minimal ingredients. As with most Indian recipes, there are a few different ways to cook this dish and the ingredients can also vary slightly. I learnt this recipe from a Bengali friend, who is a great cook. I did make some minor tweaks, but it is mostly her recipe. Since she is very health conscious, she sautés the eggplant here, without compromising much on the taste.
Eggplants contain flavonoids, such as anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that have many health benefits that help give the eggplant its well-known, dark purple color. The skin of the eggplant is rich in antioxidants, fiber, potassium, and magnesium.
If you love eggplants are your thing, check out our other delightful recipes:
- Baingan Bartha- Roasted Eggplant Curry
- Fresh Fenugreek Eggplant Sauté
- Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Chutney
- Broad Bean Eggplant Sauté
- Eggplant Potato Spicy Medley
- Baba Ghanoush
- Spicy Cilantro Ginger Eggplant Sauté
- Spicy, Tangy, Stuffed Eggplant
- Smoky Eggplant Chutney
- Vegan Spicy Baked Eggplant
Do you love our posts and recipes? We’d LOVE to see your creations so click a photo and tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #healthyindian3 and please give a star (★) rating below. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube & Tumblr for healthy, easy and delicious recipes and lifestyle tips.
*There could be affiliate links in this blog. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Begun Bhaja
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Dry Mango (Amchur) Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sugar - Powdered
- 2 Cups Eggplant - Medium sized, sliced
Sauté:
- 1 Tablespoon Chickpea Flour - Besan
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dry Mango (Amchur) Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili or Cayenne Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Mustard Oil
Instructions
Initial Marinade:
- Mix salt, turmeric, amchur powder and sugar in a bowl.
- Cut eggplant into thin, round slices and lay slices on a plate. Set aside for 10 minutes, to allow moisture to drain out. Using a cloth or paper towel, dry out the moisture. Sprinkle marinade mix evenly on the slices (first on one side, flip over and sprinkle on the other side).
Sauté:
- Add chickpea flour, salt, chili powder and dry mango powder to a large bowl and mix well.
- Gently dab each eggplant slice on both sides and set on a plate.
- Heat oil in a pan. Cook eggplant on both sides till golden brown. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Looks yum. I just got a bunch of eggplants the other day. I am going to try this tomorrow. But instead of frying it, I am going to spray some olive oil and stick it in the airfryer. Thanks for the idea Malathy!
Air fryer will work great too! But remember to open the air fryer periodically and turn the eggplant slices around so they fry evenly. Let me know how it turns out.