FYANA BHAAT

Is there any Bengali kid from the 70's & 80's who did not have this for breakfast before going to school? This was the quickest something our mothers could prepare who were not equipped with modern gadgets in the kitchen or all around the home. There would be one "Naihatir Mashi or Sonarpur theke asha jethi" whose off days were rampant, "aaj train aborodh, kaal bandh." I cannot think of the ordeals our mothers faced and handled. After my brother's birth, our mother did not get any rest. There were two office goers and one school going child in her family. Even on a supremely busy morning, no "paurutir packet" came home earlier in the day with "maach, mangsho, dim, tarkari pati." Bread used to come only for us siblings to have with butter, "dudher shor o chini", "ghee or chini", homemade jam & jelly. The maternal grandmother and my mother developed a love for bread and "bun ruti" with their tea. It may be so the paternal grandparents, maternal grandfather died without tasting bread but amazingly the latter would take fruit cakes from the Great Eastern Hotel's Arcade to his home 100 km away from Sealdah on some weekends and certainly during X-Mas and New Year. If I am not wrong this hotel had a bakery? He used to stay with us in Dum Dum because for a long time he was posted in State Bank Of India's Jibondeep & Park Street Branches before he retired in 1985. My paternal grandparents might not have tasted cake & bread in their entire life, but people have a lot to learn from them about humanity. They absolutely had no complain about my maternal grandfather living in their son's house for years. I do not know what would have happened had my father had to live at my place for years. I however did not mind my husband travelling to Kolkata this week to meet his parents; thats his sacred duty but I will go only when my mother is ill or when I wish to spend few days in Kolkata. Coming back to the food post of today, FYANA BHAAT still is a much loved dish for us, any night my man and the son would love to have it with dollops of ghee. I would prefer it with butter, I can skip the boiled egg too or will have it without much excitement. Me and my sibling are not fond of eggs, we have only egg curry and egg roll; recently I have developed a fondness for egg drop curry which is way better than having those sea fish I cannot take the smell of.

What is FYANA BHAAT? It is Rice Conjee's nearest cousin.... we can also call it rice porridge. What you see is exactly how it is made at Bengali Homes. We use a special variety of fragrant rice grain to prepare this sticky rice with high water content, then have it hot and fresh with dollops of ghee or butter, green chillies. I have to have onion too by the side. The rice is boiled in water together with potato & eggs. Me and my sibling enjoyed it without the boiled egg. These days I eat the egg. The rice congee here is also my favourite but I am not allowed to have it on a regular basis. I customise it as per my taste; I add fried ikanbilis & peanuts+ chillies dipped in soya sauce + white pepper + sesame oil. I am restricted from having many a things, who listens? Look at my breakfast today; "Moidar Porota o Aloo+Scrambled Dim er Tarkari & Cha."

A mix of maida+atta is always good for a paratha dough. I told Cristine to serve me for lunch a fruit platter with chia and a grilled chicken katsu from the frozen packet I got earlier this week. I do not wish to miss my dinner with millet and "maach, dal, torkari." I find millet better than Basmati. Basmati suits only biryani & fried rices. Who will tell the senior that Basmati is not meant for "Bangali Rannabanna?"

INGREDIENTS :

GOBINDO BHOG OR KALIJEERA OR CHINIGURA RICE : 1/2 COFFEE MUG [THE TWO OF THE LATTER YOU GET IN SOUTH ASIAN STORES WHILE THE FIRST ONE IN WEST BENGAL]
WATER : DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THE AMOUNT OF RICE GRAIN TAKEN
SALT : AS REQUIRED
POTATO : 2BIG 

LATER ESSENTIAL ADD-ONS : BOILED EGG, BUTTER OR GHEE, GREEN CHILLI, ONION [MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE].

PROCEDURE :

Take the amount of rice to be cooked in a heavy bottomed vessel or saucepan and wash thoroughly 2-3 times.

Fill it with water double or triple the amount of rice you are using. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Peel off the skin of the potatoes or if its winter time, peeling is not required. Wash them and cut each in to 4 pieces. Wash again and add to the rice & water.

Put the container atop the gas oven and switch on the gas stove. Add some salt to the vessel and stir.

Now cook on slow heat for 10-12 minutes checking in between. The variety of rice used will tend to soak in the water fast. We have to add more water if required to avoid burning at the bottom.

We will take down when the rice gets mashy and immediately have with an accompaniment of butter or ghee, boiled egg, green chilli, onion.

It never tastes the same once cold, then reheated and had.

The amount in the photographs serves 3 heads, its pretty heavy.