BM# 63: Journey through the Cuisines
Week 1: Bengali Cuisine
Day 2: B for Begun-er-Tok (Bengali Sweet & Sour Eggplant)
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.
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
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
A wonderful recipe for eggplant lover. I was expecting nothing less than this from you 🙂 Love the use of panch phoran and the sesame seeds add so much flavor.
Smruti Shah
Awesome recipe Pavani. I love the use of spices to make an eggplant so interesting 🙂 Lovely!
Srivalli
That is surely a very new one Pavani. You have talent to make everything look so pretty!..love the mood you got for this setup!
Gayathri's Cook Spot
What a flavourful dish with eggplant. I love the aroma of panch phoran and I can imagine the taste by looking at the dish. Looks absolutely inviting..
rekhas kitchen
Even I wanted to do some thing with eggplant but some how I changed. Ican enjoy his begun tok any tine delicious recipe...
vaishali sabnani
looks super flavorful Pavani...and of course awesome clicks.
Kalyani
Poppy, chilli, tamarind and sesame : what a wonderful combo. Bookmarkin to try , Pavani !
Usha Rao
This indeed a different way of cooking begun. Lovely pictures and love the lightly on the first two pictures.
PJ
Interesting curry with eggplant. I would love to make this but there will be no takers other than me!
Veena Theagarajan
looks perfect I will try for sure!
Priya Suresh
Wow, this begun er tok sounds so delicious, love the addition of raisins in this dish, totally irresistible.
Suma Gandlur
Love your clicks and guessing the dish will lure eggplant lovers. My husband's favorite vegetable is eggplant and probably he will love it too.
Sapana Behl
Begun er tok looks very delicious with all those sweet and sour ingredients going in.Love the setup and the pictures.
Amara Annapaneni
Such a comforting dish Pavani. Love the simple yet delicious dish:)
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan
Eggplants are my weakness. Bookmarking this for sure. Will try this one out soon.
The Pumpkin Farm
the sprinkled sesame seeds on top simply lift the recipe from being a regular fare...loved all the pics and the recipe too...
Ruchi Indu
Begun er tok is quite new to me. sounds delicious though...
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
why am I not surprised to see an eggplant dish from you - raisins would be a unique twist
Jessie Moore
I'm an eggplant lover so I was intrigued by this recipe. It's new to me, but it sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the new discovery!
veena krishnakumar
We all love eggplant and i will be trying tis out soon. As usual amazing Clicks