Begun pora recipe | Bengali Begun bhorta (bharta) recipe | Baingan ka chokha recipe

Begun pora recipe | Bengali Begun bhorta (bharta) recipe | Baingan ka chokha recipe step by step. Begun pora (Bengali Begun bhorta) is a traditional Bengali style baingan ka chokha made with roasted brinjal, mashed with green chilies, onion, roasted tomatoes, coriander leaves, salt & mustard oil.

In West Bengal, this Brinjal recipe is known as Begun pora loved by Bengalis and mainly served with roti. Begun pora is called Begun Bhorta (Begun bharta) in Bangladesh where this dish is served with rice or panta bhat. In Bihar, this Bengali Brinjal recipe is known as Baingan ka chokha and is served with Bihari snacks Litti and Roti. This brinjal dish is actually the same, only has different names in West Bengal, Assam, Bangladesh, and Bihar. 

Are you also searching for a few more Bengali veg recipes for roti. Try my Bengali aloo dum, Ghugni recipe, Cholar dal(Bengali Chana dal), Bandhakopir torkari(Bengali cabbage curry), Echorer Dalna(Jackfruit curry), Phulkopir dalna (Bengali gobi masala), Phulkopir roast(cauliflower roast).

Today I will share how my mom makes begun pora/ Bengali Begun bhorta (bharta)/ Baingan ka chokha at home on the gas stove. For roasting the brinjal, first, she slits the begun/baingan with a knife and inserts a few green chillies through the cut. Then grease the brinjal with mustard oil, and roast the brinjal by putting on a roti jali on a gas stove. Roasting on medium heat of the stove until the brinjal got black from all sides and gets soft from the inside.

After roasting the brinjal, my mom first cools down the brinjal. Remove the roasted skin of the brinjal nicely clean it and remove its stem. Then finely chops the brinjal with a knife or mash it with a hand. Mix the mashed brinjal with green chillies (cooked in brinjal), finely chopped onion and coriander leaves, roasted tomatoes, salt, and mustard oil. Begun pora or Bengali Begun bhorta(bharta) or Baingan ka chokha is ready. My family & I love this smoked brinjal so much that each has 2-3 more rotis if this Begun choka is on our dinner menu.

Which brinjal is perfect for making Begun pora/Bengali Begun Bhorta(bharta)/ Baingan ka chokha?

Begun pora aka Bengali begun bhorta(bharta) recipe is mainly prepared in winter. Begun pora aka bengali begun bhorta(bharta) is made with wintertime slight Green and Purple, Long brinjal, available In West Bengal and Bangladeshi markets. So if you are sitting in another Indian state, you can use Purple bharta brinjal for making this recipe. Though today I used Green and Purple, Long brinjal, my mom send it from Kolkata. However, I mostly make this dish with purple-coloured bharta brinjal.  But if you are staying in other countries (except Bangladesh), try to find this brinjal from Bangladeshi stores. Whereas Baingan ka chokha is prepared at any time of the year. So for making Baingan ka chokha, you can use purple bharta brinjal or plain green brinjal too.

How to store begun pora (Bengali roasted eggplant) for a long time?

You can easily store begun pora for 3-4 days. Just roast the brinjal, remove the skin and the stem and simply keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Don’t mash it or mix it with other ingredients. When you are planning to have it, take out the brinjal of the fridge. Make it hot in the microwave oven or Otg or heat it on a pan, or put it on a steamer until gets hot. Mix it with other ingredients (describe below) of this recipe and serve this begun choka.

How to roast the brinjal in a microwave oven?

Wash the whole brinjal/eggplant/aubergine/baingan/begun and wipe them well. Make slits or pierce all over the brinjal with a fork or knife, brush with oil, and put in a microwave-safe bowl. Roast the brinjal at the highest temperature of a microwave oven, Keep it for 8-10 mins. Check it with a fork or skewer, if soft, take it out of the oven. Keep it cool down then remove the skin and you can prepare begun pora/begun bhorta(vorta)/bengali baingan ka chokha/baingan ka bharta with it.

How to roast the whole brinjal in an air fryer?

Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes. Wash the whole brinjal/Eggplant/Baingan/aubergine, and wipe them. Make a few slits all over it, and grease or brush with oil. Then put them on the air fryer pan for 8- 10 mins. Check it with a fork or skewer, if soft, that means brinjals are perfectly roasted. Keep it cool down then remove the skin and prepare any above brinjal recipes with this begun choka.

How to make Begun pora recipe | Bengali Begun bhorta(bharta) recipe | Baingan ka chokha recipe

• For making this pora begun choka, first, wash the brinjal or eggplant or baingan or aubergine.
• Wipe it out, make 3-4 deep slits on the brinjal and insert 3-4 green chillies through the cut. As shown below pic.

• Grease or brush the brinjal with oil(mustard oil).

• Slit the tomatoes and brush them with oil too.

• Put the brinjals on a roti jail (grill jail) on the gas stove.

• Roast it on medium heat of the gas stove until got black from all sides and gets soft from the inside. Let the brinjal cools down.

• In the meantime, roast the tomatoes, take them out from the gas oven, and let them cool down too.

• After cooling down the brinjal and tomatoes, remove their roasted skin and remove the brinjal stem.

• Finely chopped the brinjal and tomatoes with a knife or mash with your hand.

• Then mix with the green chillies (cooked in brinjal), finely chopped or sliced onion, finely chopped coriander leaves, salt, and mustard oil.

• Pora begun choka is ready, serve this smokey brinjal with roti and enjoy your food.