I have been meaning to write this recipe for very long time but I rarely have the occasion to make this recipe – Sweet and Sour Aubergine or Begun er Tok (বেগুন এর টক). This is one of the best pair to go with Daal, Polao or any vegetarian dish you make and it brings the tangy and sweet flavor to your pallet.

The recipe has a special ingredient, that is Tamarind, which gives the tangy taste to the recipe. Besides you also need sugar, Pach Phoron, dried chili, garlic and some salts.

The post preparation: It is better to soak the tamarind for few hours before you make the recipe. Usually tamarind is sold as semi dried fruit, so it take some time to soak and make a smooth pulp. If you don’t have much time, then try to use lukewarm water. But first, rinse the tamarind with little water to remove outer dirt, then soak them. You will see that tamarind starts to get soft. At this point you have to use your hand to gently squish tamarind and make the pulp. There will be many seeds and soft layers in the pulp, so use a colander to get rid of the seeds and rest of the things. Now your pulp is ready!

Slice then aubergine in your preferable shape and shallow fry them. I have not used any seasoning here, but if you want, use little bit turmeric water and salt. When aubergine has nice and golden color on both side, keep them aside.

In the same pan, heat up more oil and then add Pach Phoron, bay leaves and dried chili. When they starts to release fragrance, add chopped garlic.

Cook garlics until golden brown. They will release a really nice aroma now in your kitchen!

So when garlic is golden brown, add tamarind pulp. Add salt to taste and let it simmer for few minutes.

After simmering the sauce a little, add sugar and carefully mix. Keep your stove temperature low, as the sauce tends to splatter. Check salt and sweetness of the sauce and adjust according to your taste. Cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for few more minutes until it decreases in volume.

After around 5 to 6 minutes, the sauce will look really thick and dense. Add fried aubergine at this point carefully, as they are already half cooked, they tend to get broken while cooking.

Try to put the aubergine under the sauce carefully. Simmer them in really low heat for about 5 to 6 minutes, until desired softness of aubergine.

Enjoy Begun er Tok or Sweet and Sour Aubergine with vegetables, fried rice, polao or daal.

Recipe: Beguner Tok, 4 portions

Ingredients: Half of Aubergine Pulp of 100g Tamarind 2 cloves of garlic 2 bayleaves 1tea spoon of Pach Phoron (Mix of nigella, cumin, fenugreek, mustard and aniseed) 2-3 dried chili 150 g sugar (or to taste)

Steps: 1. Rinse lightly and soak tamarind for few hours. When the tamarind is softer, squeeze gently to make the pulp. Then use a collendar to separate the pulp from seeds and soft shells. Keep the pulp aside. 2. Slice aubergine and shallow fry/roast in oil, until golden brown in color on both sides. Make sure to cook only 60%. Set the aubergine aside. 3. In the same pan, add more oil and when hot, add pach phoron, dried chili and bay leaves. Add chopped garlic and cook until golden brown. 4. Add tamarind pulp and salt in the pot. Simmer for few minutes. Then add sugar and mix carefully. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes in low heat until decrease in volume. Check for salt and sweetness and adjust to your taste. 5. Add fried aubergine carefully in a layer. Cover the pot and let the aubergine cook in the sauce for 5 -6 minutes. Enjoy Sweet and Sour Aubergine with vegetables, Fried Rice or Daal!