Begun bhaja

Name: Begun bhaja
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 eggplant, cut into 1.5 cm rounds; ½ tsp turmeric; ½ tsp cayenne / chilli powder; ¾ tsp salt; ¼ tsp sugar (optional); 1 tbsp rice flour (optional); 100 ml mustard oil

Vegetarian

বেগুন ভাজা · Begun bhaja

Thick aubergine slices rubbed with turmeric, chilli and salt and fried in mustard oil until creamy inside and golden outside. A simple Bengali side for rice and dal.

Begun bhaja is a Bangladeshi side dish, ready in about 30 minutes and made with eggplant and mustard oil. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

Begun bhaja: two golden pan-fried aubergine slices on a white plate — Photo: Atudu / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 15 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 107

Ingredients

4 servings

1 (450 g) Eggplant (opens in a new tab), cut into 1.5 cm roundsOne large globe aubergine, about 450 g.
½ tsp (1.5 g) Turmeric (opens in a new tab)
½ tsp (1 g) Cayenne / chilli powder (opens in a new tab)
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
¼ tsp (1 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab) (optional)A pinch helps browning.
1 tbsp (10 g) Rice flour (opens in a new tab) (optional)Dusting for extra crispness.
100 ml Mustard oil (opens in a new tab)For shallow-frying; about 35 g is absorbed.Swap: Neutral vegetable oilContains mustard

Equipment

Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Rub the aubergine (opens in a new tab) slices with the turmeric (opens in a new tab), cayenne, salt and sugar (opens in a new tab) and leave for 10 minutes. Dust lightly with rice flour (opens in a new tab) if using.
- 3 min
2
Step 2
Heat the mustard oil (opens in a new tab) in a frying pan until it just smokes, then reduce to medium.
- 2 min
- medium-high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Hot oil spits; pat the slices dry and lower them in away from you.
3
Step 3
Fry the slices in a single layer for 4–5 minutes per side, pressing gently, until golden and completely soft in the centre. Drain on paper towels.
- 12 min
- medium heat

About this dish

Origin: Bengal (Bangladesh and West Bengal) · Commonly attributedAlso popular in Bangladesh, India
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes
Cooking method: Shallow-fried
Taste: savoury, earthy, spicy (chilli heat), creamy
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Eggplant · Mustard oil · Turmeric · Cayenne / chilli powder
Techniques: Shallow-frying

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom mustard oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

107 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 123 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 4%
Carbohydrate 25%
Fat 71%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	107 kcal	87 kcal
Protein	1.2 g	1 g
Carbohydrate	7 g	5.7 g
Net carbohydrate	3.5 g	2.8 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.5 g	2.9 g
Fat	9 g	7.3 g
Saturated fat	1.1 g	0.9 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	—	—
Sodium	439 mg	357 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	0.9 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 271 mg
Calcium: 11 mg
Iron: 0.5 mg
Magnesium: 17 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 6 µg
Vitamin C: 3 mg
Vitamin D: —
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 25 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: sugar, rice flour.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Score the slices lightly in a criss-cross so the spices penetrate.

Common mistakes

Frying too hot: the outside burns before the middle turns creamy.

Serve with

Eat with plain rice, masoor dal and a squeeze of lime.

Storage

Best eaten freshly fried.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Eggplant, cut into 1.5 cm rounds1 piece · 450 g
Rice flour (optional)1 tbsp · 9.9 g

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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