• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cook's Hideout
  • All Recipes
  • Recipes by Category
  • Subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Recipes by Category
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Blogging Marathon » Begun-er-Tok (Bengali Sweet & Sour Eggplant)

    Begun-er-Tok (Bengali Sweet & Sour Eggplant)

    Published: Apr 2, 2016 · Modified: Aug 3, 2022 by Pavani · 22 Comments

    11 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe

    BM# 63: Journey through the Cuisines

    Week 1: Bengali Cuisine

    Day 2: B for Begun-er-Tok (Bengali Sweet & Sour Eggplant)

    Letter B in Bengali cuisine gave me a ton of recipes to try. B is for Begun or eggplant in Bengali and there were way too many recipes to choose from like begun bhaja, begun posto, doodh begun, doi begun, begun basanti and so on. In the end I decided to make this lesser known eggplant dish, Begun-er Tok from Soma's blog.

    This is a traditional Bengali dish which is sweet, spicy and tangy, all at the same time. This way of cooking eggplant is very new to me which is why I decided to make it instead of the other more popular Bengali begun recipes.

    Soma says this dish is more like a condiment than a side and is usually served as an end of the meal, more like a pre-dessert course. I wish we had this course in Andhra too, I would probably skip my entire meal just for that.

    Well back to the dish, this is a very simple and easy to make dish. Adding raisins adds slight sweetness, tartness and texture to the dish. Panch Phoron is a Bengali whole spice blend that has mustard, cumin, nigella, fennel and fenugreek seeds. I love how much flavor a teaspoon of panch phoron adds to any dish. This dish is no exception and the spice mix makes it extra special.

    I served this with rice and roti. I think it tasted even better the next day when the flavors had a chance to mingle. It can even be eaten just as is 🙂

    Recipe from Soma's Ecurry:

    Begun-er Tok

    Recipe for Bengali Begun-er Tok or Bengali Sweet & Sour Eggplant. It is sweet, tangy and sour all at the same time. This dish is traditionally served as a pre-dessert course, but can also be served as a condiment with rice and roti.
    Author: Pavani
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 20 mins
    Total Time: 30 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: bengali
    Servings: 34 serving

    Ingredients

    • 2 Eggplants Japanese , cubed
    • 2 ~ 3 tbsps Raisins
    • 1 tsp Panch phoron
    • 1 Red Chili Dry
    • 1 ~ 2 Green Chili (optional)
    • 1 tsp Tamarind paste
    • 2 tsps Sugar
    • ½ tsp Turmeric
    • 2 tsps Sesame seeds Poppy or (optional)
    • To taste Salt
    • 2 tbsps Cilantro , finely chopped

    Instructions

    • Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add panch phoron and dry red chili, when the seeds start to splutter, add the eggplant and green chili (if using) and toss to coat them with the spices.
    • Cook on medium high heat to cook the eggplant and brown it slightly around the edges.
    • Add turmeric, tamarind paste, sugar and salt. Stir in 1cup of water and mix well. Add the raisins. Cover and cook till the eggplants are tender, but not mushy. The sauce will get thick at this stage. Add more water if you want the sauce to be soupy and thin.
    • Add the poppy or sesame seeds, if using and simmer for couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve in a small bowl at the end of the meal.

    Notes

    Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63
    An InLinkz Link-up
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cooks_hideout or tag #cookshideout!

    More Blogging Marathon

    • Blue platter with Tofu asparagus stir fry.
      Sesame Tofu Asparagus Stir Fry Recipe
    • Egg Puffs Recipe | Indian Bakery Style
    • Vegetable Frittata Recipe | Indian Style
    • Ragi Adai Recipe | Finger Millet & Lentil Dosa
    11 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. rajani

      April 12, 2016 at 4:39 pm

      Raisins is an interesting touch there. The alphabet B has a lot of options to choose from I guess

      Reply
    2. Nisha Sundar

      May 03, 2016 at 6:24 am

      I have heard so much about this spice mix and am yet to try. Thats a lovely capture Pavani, wish I could make brinjal often!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    My profile photo.

    Hi, I'm Pavani! the cook in this hideout. Cook's Hideout is all about delicious vegetarian dishes from India and also from around the world. Here you will find recipes that are easy AND tasty to make.

    More about me →

    Trending Recipes

    • Blue plate with cups of chocolate custard.
      How to make Chocolate Custard with Custard Powder
    • Brown plate with a stack of Ethiopian flatbread.
      Easy Injera Recipe | Step by Step
    • Plate with fried plantains and a bowl with garlic sauce.
      Cuban Tostones with Mojo Sauce Recipe
    • White bowl with bangaladumpa vepudu
      Masala Potato Fry | Andhra Style

    Seasonal Recipes

    • Blue bowl with sweet and spicy berry chutney
      The Best Cranberry Apple Chutney Recipe
    • Vegan potato latkes
      How to make Eggless Latkes
    • White plate with stack of Danish Aebleskivers
      How to make Vegan Ebelskivers Recipe
    • Vegan Fruit Cake
      How to make Eggless Christmas Plum Cake

    My Cookbooks

    Vegetarian Indian Instant Pot Cookbook.
    The Essential Vegetarian Indian Cookbook.

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Subscribe

    Contact

    • About

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme

    11 shares