Baigun Bhaja and Alu Bhaja - Lessons from East

The Khichadi prepared (please follow my blog post Khichadi) goes well with Baigun Bhaja (Brinjal fry) and Alu Bhaja (potato fry). Khichadi being little bland, blends perfectly well with these spicy, tawa fried vegetables. Khichadi along with these bhajas make a favorite dish for Bengalis.  

For Baigun Bhaja


Ingredients
1 big brinjal 
Turmeric powder
Salt to taste 
Pinch of sugar 
Red chilli powder
Oil for shallow frying 


Procedure
1. Cut the top and bottom portions of the big brinjal and discard. Make round slices (about 1 cm in thickness) from the rest of brinjal. 
2. On a plate, add about 2 tsp of turmeric, salt to taste, a pinch of sugar, 1 tsp red chilli powder (you can add one more tsp of this if you like the bhaja to be more spicy) and mix all these dry powders well. 
3. Coat the brinjal slices on both sides evenly with this mixture prepared in step 2. Take a brinjal slice and dab it on the mixture in plate. Keep these coated brinjal slices aside for 5 minutes. 
4. Take a fry pan and add about 2-3 tbsp of oil, heat the pan lightly so that the oil spreads to cover the surface of the pan. 
5. Place these brinjal slices on the heated oil, cover with lid and cook on medium flame. Open at times to ensure that the slices do not get charred. Turn over to cook the other side as well after one side becomes soft and mushy. 
6. There is no need to add more oil to cook the other side of brinjal slices, just sprinkle little water and ensure that there is enough moisture. The brinjal slices will cook well. 
7. The Baigun Bhaja is ready when both sides become soft, press the center of the slice with a ladle and ensure it is soft. Remove the Bhaja onto a plate. 

Brinjal to be used for Baigun Bhaja

Slices of Brinjal, ready to be coated with masalas

Masala coated brinjal slices getting shallow fried in tawa

How to make Alu Bhaja?

Ingredients

1/4 kg small alu (potatoes) 

Oil for frying 

Turmeric 

Chilli powder

Hing

Salt to taste

Rice flour

Procedure

1. Pressure cook the small potatoes for 3 whistles. Upon cooling, peel them and keep them aside. 

2. Prepare a masala mixture combining about 2 tsp of turmeric powder, 3 tsp chilli powder (if you like the alu spicy), salt to taste, generous shower of hing and 2 tsp rice flour. The last two ingredients of the mixture are additions from my side. I always like the flavor of hing and rice flour addition makes the alu crispy. 

3. Coat the boiled and peeled potatoes evenly using the mixture prepared in step 2. 

4. Take a fry pan, add little oil - about 2 tbsp and heat well so that oil spreads to cover the surface of the pan. Add the coated potatoes to this oil, cover and cook. Open the lid at times to check the potatoes do not get charred, shake the pan to ensure the potatoes are cooked on all sides. Sprinkle very little water and cover again with lid and cook, if there is any doubt. 

Alu bhaja

I have chosen small potatoes as shown in the picture above to prepare alu bhaja.You can use normal, medium sized potatoes for alu bhaja in which case, there is no need to pressure cook them. Peel the big potatoes, cut them into thick slices, coat the slices in masala mixture in step 2 and carry on with the frying process in the tawa.