Begun Basanti/ egg plant in Mustard Sauce Recipe:
I am personally not a big fan of Egg plant or Begun as we call it in Bengali. I still remember whenever my mom used to cook Egg plant(The infamous Begun) me and my sister would be very upset. When I was a child I made up this theory in my head that only those who Don't have any "Gun"(Virtue) likes to eat Begun👯👯😂😂😃😃 . To be honest I still don't like this vegetable that much. My husband on the other hand loves Bharwa baigan(Stuffed egg plant curry),So one day while searching for a detailed Bharwa Baigan recipe on the net I came across this Begun Basanti Recipe.The name of the recipe was so unique that I thought I would give it a try and to my surprise it turned out to be really awesome.👍👍👍👍👍.
Benagalis Love mustard,in almost all Bengali household mustard oil is used for cooking and in this Dish the use of mustard paste gives it a very unique flavor which I really love. And I think the name Begun Basanti comes from the color of the dish due to the use of Mustard paste.I think there are many version of this dish ,some people do not use coconut in this dish but I think coconut helps in reducing the spiciness of the mustard paste,so I have used Yogurt and coconut paste to reduce the spiciness of the dish. But if you are a fan of spicy food or don't have coconut at the moment in your kitchen you can also try this recipe without the grated coconut. I am sure it will taste delicious👌👌💚💚
For those of you who don't like egg plant or are not sure what to with the egg plant that you bought from market or want to try something new ,this recipe is a must try. It is easy simple and quick and does not need too much preparation. you can make it for your Lunch ,dinner or even surprise your husband by packing this dish for his office lunch.You can Serve this Begun Basanti With plain rice or Luchi/Paratha/roti along with a simple dal or any other curry recipe of your choice. Do try it at home and give me your feedback and if you need any help regarding any of the steps of the recipe do let me know, I would happy to help😍😍😍😍
OK.... so lets start with the detailed recipe....And one more thing before we start the recipe ,I have used Mustard oil in this dish but if you want you can use any vegetable oil of your choice!!!!!
Ingredients:
4 long slender eggplant each cut into 2 length wise pieces
4 tbsp mustard seeds
Half cup grated coconut fresh or frozen
5,6 green chilies
Chopped coriander leaf
Half cup yogurt
1 tsp. kalonji / nigella seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt
Sugar
Oil
Method:
Step 1:
Was and soak the mustard seeds in water for at least 30 minutes. Now using a grinder make a smooth thick paste from the mustard seeds.Keep aside
Step 2:
Marinate the egg plant pieces with turmeric powder and salt.Heat a pan with enough oil in it for shallow frying the egg plant pieces. You might have to add a little extra oil as egg plant tend to soak oil more than other vegetables. Now fry the egg plant till they become golden brown,remove from pan and keep aside.
Step 3:
In the remaining oil add Kalonji or nigella seeds and let them sputter, now add mustard seeds paste ,grated coconut and yogurt and fry the spice mix till it gets separated from oil.
Step 4:
Now add a little water , don't add too much as we want a thick gravy, 1/2 cup water should be sufficient, also add sugar, salt and let it boil. Now add the fried egg plant pieces, mix well and let it simmer in medium flame for another 2 to 3 minutes. Your Begun Basanti is ready ,serve it hot with rice or roti....💙💙💙💙
