Beguner Bhorta / Begun Pora / Baingan Bharta / Bengali Style Mashed Eggplant

Beguner Bhorta / Begun Pora aka Bengali Style Baigan Bharta, is a very simple and elegant dish. Unlike the North Indian mashed eggplant, we do not cook the eggplant after roasting. We char the eggplant and then simply mix this with the other ingredients with some salt and serve the dish. Beguner Bhorta is also known as Begun Pora to us, as we basically char it on the oven top, which gives this dish a very rustic smoky flavor.

It becomes very popular during the winter season, when tasty and plumpy eggplants almost flood the market. While charring / roasting you can also push some garlic and chilies inside the eggplant to have an extra kick, but I like this simple version more, where I just roast the eggplant until the skin becomes completey charred, peel it and mix with everything. Pretty darn simple. For an additional taste you can add some boiled green peas and some scrambled eggs also. It makes this Begun Pora / Baingan Bharta / beguner bhorta very very special.

I make beguner bhorta on lazy days, when I simply deny myself to get out of the bed and do something. On those fateful days, my cats become my sole companion and snuggle with me under the blanket. But I think I have reached the saturation point and I really really need an outing.

Last night I watched Cracks and my god....I think I have fallen in love with Eva Green. Her sharp French features and French accent is to die for. The movie was terribly good too. Must must watch, if you ask me. Set in the pre-world war time, the story tells about the story of 5 young girls of a posh British Boarding school and their diving instructor Miss. G. Bold and beautiful. Just the kind of story telling I love!!

 Begun Pora / Beguner Bhorta / Baingan Bharta / Bengali Style Mashed Eggplant
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine / eggplant
• 1 small onion - finely chopped
• 1 small tomato - chopped
• 2 green chilies - chopped
• a handful of  fresh coriander leaves - finely chopped
• salt
• 2 tsp oil

Method:

• Take the aubergine / eggplant and slit its sides with a sharp knife. Now place it in a big bowl and sprinkle salt and oil. Push some oil and salt into the silted portions, ladle the rest generously on the aubergine / eggplant.
• Now place a wired cake rack on top of the gas. Put on the flame on medium and put the aubergine / eggplant on it.
• Roast the aubergine by flipping it now and then, until it is properly charred and the skin kind of falls off. Push a knife into it to check that the inside is cooked properly or not.
• Place the aubergine into the previous bowl and sprinkle some water in it to avoid bitterness in taste.
• Let it cook down a bit and then with the help of a spoon or fork peel out its skin, discard the seeds and cut off the stalk.
• Mash it with the same spoon and add in chopped onion, tomato, fresh coriander leaves and green chilies.
• Do not add salt as we have already added it. Taste and adjust accordingly.
• If possible mix with hand to ensure that there is no big lumps of the roasted aubergine.
• If you want you can add some boiled green peas and scrambled eggs.
• Serve hot with roti or paratha.