Some say Bengali vegetarians do not exist. It is difficult, if not impossible to find them. No other Brahman other than a Bengali Brahman is born a non-vegetarian. Yes, it's true we love our fish: fried fish/ fish eggs, fish in light gravy, fish with coconut milk, fish in mustard sauce, spicy fish with tomato and yoghurt, fish head with dal/ rice, shrimps/ fish head in every stir-fried vegetable dish possible, the list goes on. But that's not all Bengali cuisine is about. A major portion of a Bengali's daily meal is vegetarian. The reason some of the dishes are not readily available outside Bengal is that not only are some of the ingredients difficult to find, but also it requires immense skill and patience to master some of the favorites. Few months ago, I read an article, a Bengali one at that, which stated that true skills of a chef can only be judged if he/she masters the art of vegetarian cooking. I instantly agreed.
Even though I have made only few of them, here is a list of my favorite Bengali vegetarian dishes which make me crave home food:
1)
Dhokar daalna (A curry made of Split Bengal Gram patties and potatoes): Although the patty mixture is available in markets, the customized taste can only be achieved if you make it at home. The patties may be microwaved instead of frying with makes the dish immensely healthy, Gram being high in protein. My mother makes a variation of this which uses a mix of Gram and pumpkin and like all dishes she makes, it is phenomenal.
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| Dhokar Dalna (source: mymomsrecipes.net) |
2)
Lauer kofta (Patties made of bottle gourd in a gravy): This is the vegetarian rendition of a meatball, with grated bottle gourd and chickpea flour in the batter. I have never tried this as grating a whole bottle gourd is not a lazy person's cup of tea. This ties in second place with
Kaanchkolar Kofta which is the same concept with raw banana instead of bottle gourd.
3)
Kumror chhakka (Curry with pumpkin and Bengal gram): This is not difficult at all to master and delicious. I made it this weekend and kept it dry. Since I didn't have Bengal gram, I used Garbanzo beans. You can also add potato to the curry if you like, and prepare it dry/ with gravy.
4)
Shukto: This is a comfort food in all Bengali households and a favorite during summers and when a person is suffering from stomach discomfort. It is a light milk-based mixed vegetable dish with a typical assortment consisting of eggplant, potato, raw banana, drumstick and bitter gourd, depending on whether you want the dish to taste slightly bitter or not.
5)
Bok phool and Kumro Phool Bhaja (Heron Flower/ Vegetable Hummingbird fry and Pumpkin flower fry): Even though mere side dishes, these crispy fritters fried in rice flour are some of my favorites and pair up excellently with Dal.
6)
Khichuri: This is a main dish and requires nothing else. Of course, if someone offered pickles, fried fish/ egg plant/ pumpkin/ egg, rice crackers and chutney along with it, I wouldn't say no. It is a porridge of sorts, typically prepared during rainy (for me, lazy) days and is a mixture of vegetables such as potatoes, peas, carrots, tomatoes and cauliflower, slightly roasted and then pressure-cooked or boiled together with (1 or few kinds mixed)
dal and rice.
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| Khichuri (source: bengalcuisine.in) |
7)
Aloor dom: Baby potatoes cooked in spicy, dry gravy, sometimes with green peas and green coriander, it's suited to be consumed with
luchi,
paratha, rice,
chappati, everything for breakfast, dinner, lunch, everything.
8)
Jhinge posto (Ridge gourd cooked in white poppy seed paste): Although sleep-inducing, I love all poppy seed paste based dishes,
Jhinge posto being most popular. Variations include potatoes/ potatoes + ridge gourd/ squash/ drumsticks in the same gravy. Another similar dish is
Shorshe diye Jhinge which is
Jhinge in mustard seed paste.
9)
Mochar ghonto (Banana blossom stir fry): Bengalis utilize all parts of the banana plant for food. We don't eat the Banana leaves, we are not cows. But we do use it to steam our fish. The banana is eaten both ripe and raw (cooked, of course). The internal shoot of the tree trunk, called
Bharali or
Thor (not the superhero), is also finely chopped and stir-fried like the blossoms. The blossoms are typically cooked with grated coconut and the non-vegetarian variation includes shrimp/ fish head bits in it.
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| Mochar ghonto (source: youtube) |
10)
Pepe ar daaler borar jhol (Papaya and lentils fritters in a curry): I guess I haven't had this in years. My grandmother used to excel in this and our maid makes a mean curry out of it as well. Raw papaya is used of course and tiny lentil fritters, both served in a thin gravy!
Even though I've covered only 10 (they being my favorites), there are so many more that will definitely suit all palettes due to a balance between both their subtlety and complexity. Of course, all Bengali desserts are vegetarian, maybe I'll dedicate another post to them, in the far future.
