Begun bhorta

Name: Begun bhorta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 eggplant, whole, pricked a few times with a fork; 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled (optional); 2 tbsp mustard oil; ½ red onion, very finely chopped; 2 green chilli, finely chopped; 10 g coriander leaves, chopped; ¾ tsp salt

Vegetarian

বেগুন ভর্তা · begun bhorta

A whole aubergine charred over the flame, mashed by hand with raw mustard oil, onion, green chilli and cilantro — one of the everyday bhortas of Bangladeshi home meals.

Begun bhorta 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

Smoky mashed aubergine (bhorta) served on a white plate — Photo: Miansari66 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Rest: 5 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 94

Ingredients

4 servings

1 (450 g) Eggplant (opens in a new tab), whole, pricked a few times with a forkOne large aubergine, about 450 g.
2 cloves (8 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), unpeeled (optional)Charred alongside the aubergine.
2 tbsp (27 g) Mustard oil (opens in a new tab)Used raw; its pungency is the point.Swap: Neutral vegetable oilContains mustard
½ (55 g) Red onion (opens in a new tab), very finely chopped
2 (12 g) Green chilli (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
10 g Coriander leaves (opens in a new tab), chopped
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Grill / barbecue (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Rub the aubergine (opens in a new tab) with a few drops of oil and char it directly over a gas flame, on a grill or under a hot broiler, turning, until blackened all over and completely soft.
- 15 min
- high heat
- Grill / barbecue (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels
2
Step 2
Cool slightly, peel off the burnt skin and discard the stem.
- 5 min
3
Step 3
Mash the flesh with your hand or a fork together with the mustard oil (opens in a new tab), onion, green chilli (opens in a new tab), cilantro (opens in a new tab), peeled garlic (opens in a new tab) and salt.
- 3 min
How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Bengal · Commonly attributedA staple across Bangladesh and West Bengal.Also popular in Bangladesh, India
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Dips & spreads
Cooking method: Roasted, Raw
Taste: smoky, spicy (chilli heat), savoury, fresh
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 · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Eggplant · Mustard oil · Red onion · Green chilli · Coriander leaves
Techniques: Roasting · Grilling · Broiling

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

94 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 140 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 5%
Carbohydrate 32%
Fat 63%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	94 kcal	68 kcal
Protein	1.3 g	0.9 g
Carbohydrate	8 g	5.7 g
Net carbohydrate	4.4 g	3.2 g
Sugars	4.8 g	3.5 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.6 g	2.6 g
Fat	7 g	5 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	442 mg	316 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	0.8 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 297 mg
Calcium: 15 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 18 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 11 µg
Vitamin C: 11 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): —

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: garlic.
“—” 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

Rubbing the onion and chilli with the salt first, by hand, releases their juices the way Bangladeshi cooks do it.

Common mistakes

Under-charring — the flesh must collapse completely and taste smoky.

Serve with

Serve with hot rice and dal alongside alu bhorta.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Dhonepata bata (Bengali coriander paste)Paste

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, whole, pricked a few times with a fork1 piece · 450 g

Used in step 1

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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