FYANA BHAAT

Almost all Bengali kids from 70's, 80's ate this plate before heading to school, the quickest nutritious meal our mothers could cook. There had a "Naihatir Mashi or Sonarpur theke asha jethi" whose off days were rampant, "aaj train aborodh, kaal bandh." I can't think of ordeals our mothers faced, handled. After my brother's birth, she couldn't rest enough. There were two office goers, one school going child in her family. Even on supremely busy mornings, no "paurutir packet" came home. Bread used to come only for us kids to have with butter, "dudher shor o chini", "ghee or chini", homemade jam, jelly. The maternal grandmother, my mother developed love for bread, "bun ruti" with their tea. It may be that paternal grandparents died without tasting bread but maternal grandfather would take fruit cakes from 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 home for years. Coming back to food post of today, FYANA BHAAT still is much loved dish for us, any night my man and son would love to have it with dollops of ghee. I would prefer it with butter, I can skip boiled egg too or will have it without much excitement. I and brother are not fond of eggs, we have egg curry, 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 side. The rice is boiled in water together with potato & eggs. I, bhai enjoyed it without boiled egg. These days I eat egg. The rice congee here is also my favourite but I am not allowed to have it on 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 good for paratha dough. I told Cristine to serve me for lunch a fruit platter with chia, 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." Basmati suits only biryani & fried rice.Who will tell 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 rice in heavy bottomed vessel or saucepan, wash thoroughly 2-3 times.

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

Peel off skin of potatoes or if it's winter, peeling is not required. Wash them, cut each in to 4 pieces. Wash again, add to vessel.

Place container atop gas oven, switch on gas stove; add salt, stir.

Cook on low 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 bottom.

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

It never tastes same once cold, then reheated before having.

The amount you see serves 3 heads, it's pretty heavy in stomach.