Begun Bhaja/Fried Aubergine
My grandfather was a perfectionist in every way. He would
always do things right, do things the proper way. Even at the age of 75 he was
ramrod straight and he would go to the market everyday and carry back bag full
of vegetables. He scorned luxuries for himself and yet provided us with all
comforts. He was a man like none other.
One of the most vivid memories during growing up has been
meal time. Every meal was a rhapsody of food. Simple, hearty, Bengali fare
eaten and served with panache. We would start with a “sheddo” or boiled
vegetable (potato/radish/pumpkin/okra/bittergourd) and end with a chutney. Every
meal. Every day. It was truly a seven course meal the desi way.
First came the
the “sheddo” (boiled) and next came the “bhaja” (fried).
Begun bhaja is an all time favourite. It can be eaten with
rice during lunch, it can be eaten with “muri” during tea time and it, of
course, has to be eaten whenever it rains!!
Ingredients
1 big baigan/aubergine, cut into big pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp haldi
Oil to deep fry
Apply salt, sugar and haldi to the baigan pieces and keep
aside for ½ hour.
The sugar balances out the saltiness and the baigan absorbs
less oil during frying.
Now heat oil to smoking point and deep fry. If you don’t want
to use so much oil you can shallow fry on a non stick pan.
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