The most bitter Bengali food!!! Are you shocked? How can the most bitter food be delicious? Still can’t believe? Yes, it is true. If you are a Bengali then you can understand this, otherwise it would be hard to believe that such food can be a popular food as well as delicious.
Okay, I won’t create any mystery. I am coming straight to the topic.
Here I am talking about neem begun. Most Bengali people enjoy this neem begun during late spring and early summer season (From March to May month of the year). Actually, during this season, you can see young leaves are coming out from every branches of a neem plant.
Also read: Bitter gourd fry recipes, bitter cucumber salad, crispy karela pakoda
Almost every people enjoy those young neem leaves fry during these months. People add small pieces of brinjal to reduce bitterness of those fried neem leaves.
Though nowadays you may face difficulties to find neem tree in city. But there will be a neem tree at every rural area in West Bengal, probably in India too. But in West Bengal, if you are living in a city then you can easily find neem leaves during this season at any local market.
Neem leaves has a lot of benefits for human health. It is traditional used to make various herbal remedies. In India, neem leaves are traditional used to make many Ayurvedic & traditional medicines
That is why, I have also grown two neem plants but in container. Those two plants are more than 4 years old and now I am using those plants as bonsai plant. During March to May I harvest young leaves to make neem begun and during rest of the months I harvest old leaves to make pesticide/insecticide for plants in my rooftop garden.
Neem & brinjal fry recipe (Neem begun)
- Handful neem leaves
- 1 small brinjal, cut into small pieces
- Pinches of turmeric powder
- 2 whole red chillies
- Salt to taste
- ½ tablespoon mustard oil
- First, fry young neem leaves & whole red chillies with mustard oil in a kadai and take all fried neem leaves in a plate
- Now add finely chopped brinjal and cook, add salt & turmeric powder too
- Now take all ried brinjal in the same plant and combine all
- Serve it with plain rice
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