Begun Pora – Spicy Mashed Bengali Eggplant

Smokey Mashed Bengali Style Eggplant

Begun Pora is a bold and essential take on eggplant. Mash smokey charred eggplant with chilies, cilantro, onion, tomatoes and salt with lots of mustard oil. That is, it!  And yet dish is classic, quintessential and magical. The zesty cousin of the North Indian Baigan Bharta.  And if you a little more restrained and refined that the Bangladeshi Begun Bhorta.The name Begun Pora literally translates to burnt eggplant. Begun meaning eggplant and pora meaning burnt.  And yet, this simple dish is what happens when magical eggplant meets spice.

The best eggplants in Kolkata, arrive in winter. These are plump and pale green, with buttery soft flesh. Perfect for a simple dish like this. Begun Poda is a winter specialty.  It is served as a part of any meal hot. I sometimes break the rules and serve it at room temperature as a dip. It really does work well as a meze. In fact, I have friends that call this a Bengali Babaganoush. So a Begun Pora by any other name is just as good!

While I like the Bengali Fried Eggplants, it really is more about these smokey, fire roasted eggplants and the mustard oil for me. In fact, even my son identifies the characteristic smokey smell of these eggplants roasting on an open flame with eggplants.  It is this open roasting that burns and chars the skin. This is what gives Begun Pora is name and distinct taste.

Smoked Mashed Spicy Bengali Eggplant

What Makes this dish unique?

There are a lot of dishes that start with charring the skin of the eggplant. This is a simple way of cooking the eggplant, without any extra oil, and the bonus is that this infuses a deep smokey taste to the eggplant. There are two simple and key nuances of flavor in this creation.  The first is the fire roasting of the eggplant until the skin is charred.  The second is the use of pure extra virgin mustard oil. There really is no true substitute for this flavor. If you absolutely need to do without the mustard oil. Use an assertive variation of extra virgin olive oil. I will again warn you that this is not quite the same.

How to Enjoy Begun Pora

For some reason, Begun Poda is usually served with chapatis or Indian flatbreads, called ruti in Bengali. See despite its simplicity we have rules for everything. It is usually a part of a meal with other dishes. Not often an entree by itself. However, make it your own and enjoy it as you wish. Much like I sometimes do at room temperature.

How to roast the eggplants for Begun Pora

Since this is so important for the flavor, it is ideal to use an open flame such as a gas stove or a grill. However, if you do not have access to either. Bake the eggplants until very soft and then place under a broiler and broil for several minutes until the skin is charred.