Beguni
A fried eggplant fritter from the shared Bengali telebhaja family of fried snacks, with a pre-partition origin that's honestly credited to both Bangladesh and West Bengal rather than claimed by one country alone. It's a genuine, widely documented Ramadan iftar staple in Bangladesh, commonly served alongside khichuri. Real technique slices the eggplant thin, dips it in a seasoned chickpea-flour batter with turmeric, chile, and often nigella seeds, and fries it at high heat first, then lower, a specific double-heat method that gives a crisp shell over a soft interior rather than a generic pakora approach.
Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, sliced thin
- 1.5 cups gram flour (besan)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp nigella seeds
- Water, as needed
- Oil, for deep-frying
- Salt, to taste
Steps
- Whisk the gram flour with turmeric, chili powder, nigella seeds, salt, and enough water to make a thick batter.
- Dip each eggplant slice fully in the batter.
- Fry at high heat briefly to set the crust, then lower the heat and continue frying until golden and cooked through.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot.