Keema Begun Pora / Minced Meat with Charred Eggplant

Winter means a lot of instances. Picnics, get together, travelling, Christmas and of course New Year!! But for a foodie like me...I always think about the fine dining and food part of this season. Like how plumpy and red, tomatoes are...and the fresh big coriander leaves..and of course not to forget the beautiful plump eggplants full of natural oils are adamantly abundant in winter!! So with all other lush "things"...begun pora / charred eggplant is also winter specific that makes me excited about this season!!

The first time I made Begun Pora illiteracy hovered all around me...and I mashed the eggplant along with its charred skin. Also I did not have any idea that how much chilli emit how much hotness to the dish...so I put almost 5-6 chillies for the two of us..and my husband was hysteric. He ate with one hand and drank water with another!! I was also not good at charring them. Later I learned to place them on the grilling rack and the perfect taste was not far away!!

Make slits on the eggplant and rub it with oil and salt. Push garlic pods inside the slits.

Char the eggplant on stove top, placing it on a grilling rack. Once it cools down peel off their skin.

Grill the tomatoes on the stove top.

Heat oil and add the onions. Cook until the tomatoes become translucent.

Once the onions are translucent add the grilled tomatoes, minced ginger and chopped green chillies,

Then add the minced mutton / mutton keema. Sprinkle some salt, powdered spices and cook till done. Then mix them with the charred eggplant, boiled green peas, chopped green chillies and chopped coriander leaves.

Keema was a nice addition. I wish I could have cooked the keema on grill too...which would have enhanced the smokiness!! But this is good too!! A light diner to go along roti / chapatti...and with some crunchy onions and green chillies... Keema Begun Pora literally became the star of our menu!!

Keema Begun Pora / Minced Meat with Charred Eggplant

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

200gm minced lamb / mutton

1 large eggplant

2 medium tomatoes

1 medium onion – chopped

6-7 garlic cloves

1 inch ginger – minced

A handful of coriander leaves – chopped

A handful of boiled green peas

1 tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp garam masala powder

¼ cup mustard oil

3-4 green chillies – chopped

Salt

Method:

Make deep slits on the eggplant with a knife. Push in the garlic cloves and salt inside those slits. Once done, drizzle a generous amount of mustard oil over the eggplant and pour some oil inside the slits as well.

Place a grilling rack on the stove top and char the eggplant until the skin starts to pull off and the eggplant is nice and soft. Flip the eggplant as required to char it from all the sides.

Take the eggplant and put it in a bowl. Let the eggplant cool enough to handle and then peel off the skin. Take the garlic from the eggplant and keep aside.

On the same rack place the tomatoes and grill them, until their skin is charred. Flip their sides on regular interval so that they get charred from all the sides. Once done, Take the tomatoes and put them with the charred eggplant.

In a pan heat oil and add in the cumin seeds and fennel seeds.

Once they start to sizzle add the chopped onions into it. Saute and cook the onions till they are translucent and then add one of the grilled tomatoes into it.

Also add in the minced ginger, chopped green chillies and minced mutton or lamb.

Sprinkle some salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ground cumin and coriander and garam masala powder over them and cook the mutton until it is nicely browned and cooked. Add some water if required.

Cook till all the water has evaporated and the oil starts to float on top.

Check and adjust the seasonings and put off the flame.

Transfer the entire minced meat mixture to the bowl of charred eggplant.

Let it cool down a little.

Take a spoon or fork or just use your hand and mash them well to incorporate everything.

Add in the boiled green peas and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Add more mustard oil if you need.

Mix again and taste to adjust the seasonings.

Serve immediately with roti / chapatti / paratha.