A BENGALI VEGETARIAN BREAKFAST PLATTER

Poila Baishakh.... Bengali New Year is round the corner.... This time of the year was such a celebration with new clothes, good food, visiting each other.... In our childhood, we got new dresses two times a year... during the Poila Baishakh and Durga Puja. Hence, new clothes meant a lot then. It is not like now, oh! I am not in the mood, let us go shopping and set it right. Remembering those days is a kind of pleasure.

Food is considered to be a major part of our community. We love to think, talk and dream food. Our major expenditure revolves around food. All the three major meals has to be a hearty one paying no heed to the health factor. We can start with ghee smeared flatbreads in the morning and end our meal with a mutton curry and a milk rich dessert around 10 pm at night. We are not worried at all, the chemist stores are there to provide us with antacids. Hahaha... the Bengalis who are reading this, please excuse me for making this honest confession.... if only you have not planned to shoot me at sight. 

Things are changing now, we are making an effort to eat healthy too. If you think I am being sarcastic, you are wrong. I love being a Bong [Bengali] and proud of it. I dislike talking everyday about it and getting stuck there. Only a die hard Bong has the spirit and patience to feed her burger and pizza loving men man kochu bata [yam, mustard seed n green chilli paste with a drizzle of mustard oil]. How much I wish to have a daughter-in-law to support me. If my junior does not have a personal choice, I will definitely look for someone who would love to wear saree, eat Bengali food with some interest in cooking, not necessarily she has to be a Bengali.

We all know breakfast is the major meal of the day..... but we are Bongs.... we never followed the heavy breakfast, light lunch and lighter dinner rule. All meals for us are heavy. Our paternal uncle, next to the daddy ate 25-30 rasgullas after a full meal in a function, I remember. One of my friend's brother can eat an omelette made of 22 eggs. There is not a bit of exaggeration on what I say.

Keeping in tune with our tradition, I wish to introduce you all to a regular breakfast platter of the Bengalis consisting of two simple veggies made with ridge gourd and potato [jhinge aloor torkari], pumpkin with black gramsn[kumro r chokka], a dessert with homemade cottage cheese and milk [chanar payesh], Bengal Gram lentil curry with Coconut [cholar dal], eggplant fries.

KUMROR CHOKKA / PUMPKIN WITH BLACK GRAM                                                       

INGREDIENTS :

Pumpkin : 500gm
Black Gram : 1/2 small cup [soaked overnight n boiled to tender]
Green Chilli : 2-3[slitted]
Nigella Seeds : 1/4tsp [kalonji / kalojeera]
Salt : As required
Sugar : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 2tbsp [authentically mustard]

METHOD :

Peel the skin of the pumpkin and cut into small cubes, wash thoroughly. Rub with a little of salt and turmeric powder.

Soak the black grams overnight and boil in enough water adding a little of salt. Drain the water and wash them under cold water.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with the nigella seeds. Add the pumpkin cubes, stir and cover cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the cover, add the slitted green chillies, boiled black grams and cook without covering until all of the water dries up.... say 3 minutes.

Add the sugar, stir gently and transfer to a serving bowl. Yes, it is as simple as this.

We usually have it with paratha/chapati/poori and not with rice.

CHOLAR DAL / BENGAL GRAM LENTILS

                                                     

INGREDIENTS :

Bengal Gram Lentil : 1small cup [soaked in hot water for 2-3 hrs]
Coconut pieces : 2 tbsp [fresh]
Dry Red Chillies : 2 [halved]
Green Chillies : 2 [slitted]
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As required
Sugar : 1-2 tsp
Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 2 tbsp [authentically mustard]

METHOD :

Wash and soak the Chana dal in hot water for 2-3 hours. Pressure cook the dal with enough water upto 2 whistles at medium to low heat.

Cut the coconut into small pieces . Keep all the spices ready in hand. Slit the green chillies.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with the cumin seeds, dry red chillies each torn into two and the bay leaf. 

Add the coconut pieces and fry till light brown. Add the ginger paste, salt, turmeric and the cumin powder. Keep stirring till the oil separates from the spices.

Pour in the dal, a coffee mug of water. Give a stir. Cover and let it boil for 5 minutes at the medium heat.

Remove the cover. Add the slitted green chillies and sugar. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Switch off the gas stove, it is done.

Transfer to a bowl. We can have it with both Indian breads and rice.

JHINGE ALOO KUMROR TARKARI / RIDGE GOURD WITH POTATOES & PUMPKIN                                     

INGREDIENTS :

Potato : 1 big sized
Ridge Gourd : 1

Pumpkin : 1/4 of a small sized
Green Chilli : 2 [slitted]
Dry Red Chilli : 2 halved
Nigella Seeds : 1/4 tsp [kalonji/kalojeera]

Bay Leaf : 1
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Sugar : 1tsp
Oil : 1tbsp [authentically mustard]

METHOD :

Peel and cut the potatoes, pumpkin and ridge gourds. Store in separate bowls, wash thoroughly. 

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with the bay leaf, halved dry red chillies and kalonji. Add the potato pieces. Cover cook for 3-5 minutes.

Remove the cover, add the pumpkin ridge gourd pieces and give a stir. Add the salt and turmeric, slitted green chillies and stir well.

Cover cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove the cover, add the sugar, stir and take down. This goes well with hand rolled breads.

                          BEGUN BHAJA / EGGPLANT FRY

INGREDIENTS :

Eggplant : 1

Salt : As Required

Sugar : 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp

Oil : 4-5 tbsp

METHOD :

Wash and cut the brinjal / eggplant in the desired shape, marinate with the salt, sugar, turmeric Powder for 10-12 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok and gently fry both sided of the Brinjal steaks until brown & soft.

              PARATHA / POROTA / LOW OIL FLAT BREAD

 INGREDIENTS :

Whole Wheat Flour : 1/2 big cup

Refined Flour : 1& 1/2 big cup
Salt : 2pinches
Oil : 2 tbsp + 1 tsp for each paratha
Warm Water : As required for the kneading

METHOD : 

Take both the flours in a wide mouthed bowl. Add salt and 2 tbsp oil. Rub for 2 minutes.

Add warm water and keep kneading till we get a soft dough . Cover the dough with a moist cloth for 1/2 an hour. Prepare medium sized balls.

Dust the balls with flour and shape into triangular shaped parathas.

Heat a frying pan. Place each paratha in it, cook each side for a minute. Add 1 tsp oil and fry each of the paratha until crisp on both the sides.

                      CHANER PAYESH / PANEER KHEER  

                                          

INGREDIENTS :

Milk : 1 litre+500ml
Sugar : 1/4 to 1/2 small cup
Vinegar : 1tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/4tsp
Cashewnuts & Raisins to Garnish!

METHOD :

Let us prepare the cottage cheese first. Take 1 litre of milk in a heavy bottomed vessel. Put for boil.

As it comes to a boil, switch off the gas stove. Add the vinegar, stir and the milk gets curdled. 

Strain the whey through a fine cloth and tie the remains onto your tap for 1/2 an hour. 

Take down the freshly made paneer and transfer to a bowl. Add 1tsp sugar and the green cardamom powder. Do not knead, just crumble and mix together gently.

Boil the remaining 500ml milk in a vessel for 10 minutes. As it gets creamier, add the sugar, cashew nuts, raisins. Let boil for another 5-8 minutes. Add the crumbled paneer. Stir and switch off the gas stove. 

Transfer to a bowl, let cool, refrigerate before serving.

This was my regular Bengali Vegetarian Breakfast Platter, simple and each one is easy to do. Enjoy!