Bengali cuisine has an abundance of recipes that use curd/yogurt as the primary ingredient. A dash of this fermented milk can add a twist to any dish. From vegetarian recipes to non-vegetarian, yogurt has a very special place in Bengali kitchen. Along with a tangy taste, the colour and texture it brings to a dish is just so amazing. We the Bengalis swear by our ‘mishti doi’, but we equally love the sour version as well and use it wholeheartedly in our recipes.
Doi Begun is an easy and highly mouthwatering dish which is made by slow-cooking fried eggplant in yogurt gravy. With it’s spicy-tangy taste and aroma, this dish guarantees to satisfy your soul. Doi Begun is a traditional Bengali recipe and can be made served in parties and potluck or as your weekend afternoon special dish 🙂
My Pishimoni (dad’s sister), from whom I learned this and many such dishes, used to cook it by slicing a big sized eggplant and deep frying the pieces. I rather prefer to use small sized whole eggplants by shallow frying them. My Pishimoni used to make it very mild; but I make it little spicy 🙂
So, here’s my recipe of Doi Begun and I really hope you like it just as I do.
Ingredients:
- 6 small sized eggplants
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 green chillies, roughly chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 tea-spoon ginger paste
- 1 tea-spoon garlic paste
- 3-4 cardamom (elaichi)
- 2-3 cinnamon (dalchini)
- 3-4 cloves (laung)
- 1 tea-spoon cumin powder (jeera)
- 1 tea-spoon coriander powder (dhaniya)
- 1/2 tea-spoon red chilli powder (or as per your tolerance)
- 1 tea-spoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- salt (according to taste)
- 2 small bay leaves (tej patta)
- 3 table-spoon oil (preferably mustard oil)
Method:
- Wash the eggplants properly and vertically slit from the middle (till 3/4th of its length). Carefully remove the flower part but keep the stick intact.
- Wash and rub the eggplants with turmeric powder, little chilli powder and salt.
- Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the eggplants. Sprinkle little water if required and cover the lid. Keep checking and keep stirring. Cook until the eggplants becomes soft.
- Once it’s done. remove the eggplants from the pan and keep aside.
- Slightly crush the whole garam masala (cardamom, cinnamon and clove).
- Heat oil again and add bay leaves and crushed garam masala. Stir for 30 sec in medium flame.
- Now, add the onion-chilli paste and ginger-garlic paste and stir till the water dries out and the paste becomes thick.
- Add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and chilli powder and stir well.
- Add the chopped tomato and stir until the it blends.
- Now, add the yogurt and salt and mix very well.
- Add 1 cup of warm water and cover the lid. Bring it to boiling point.
- Pour the fried eggplants slowly into the mixture and use your spatula to mix it very well. All the eggplants should get the proper coating of the mixture.
- Lower the flame and cover the lid. Cook for 10 minutes.
- If you find the gravy too thick, add 1/2 cup of warm water again, cover the lid and bring it to boiling point.
- Your Doi Begun is ready to be served now.
Serve your Doi Begun hot with hot steamed rice and enjoy with your friends and family. Durga Puja is here and this can be one of your festival special dishes. Do prepare it and let me know in comments about how you like it.
Shubho Sharadiya 🙂 Sharadiya Greetings!!!