I remember I cooked and clicked this BENGALI PLATTER sometime in April; the exact date was 13th April; lunch time. The plan was on since 12th April; PANTA BHAAT is FERMENTED RICE; we need to soak the cooked rice in water; keep it in a warm corner at room temperature overnight. Even before; on 10th or 11th April, I got home a kilogram of Ponni rice variety for the purpose because there is no point using fine grained Basmati for making a panta. I am not fond of Basmati but the senior refuses to eat any other variety. Cristine, me and the son even love red & brown rice varieties; specially a quick fried rice with them. I am giving these details because these days, we arrange things to have a plate of panta bhaat; earlier; in many Bengali families; rice was never cooked, measured. Families were big; guests visited unnoticed; so rice was made in bulk. End of November is not the right time to share a recipe with such a cooling effect; actually sitting in a tropical island; I find it okay to have it now too; though it is the rainy season here.
However, the scene was different in our mother's kitchen; everything in her household was measured. So, not on a regular basis did I see her eating fermented rice. We were better off, started living a city life; so panta bhaat was not one of our breakfast options; instead the mother prepared fried rice with the little left over rice she would have. The males of Bengali middle class homes hardly had or have to have fermented rice. It was the lower middle class and poor who found a good breakfast option in it plagued by the family's financial condition. Many homes still have panta bhaat only with onion & green chilli, a bit of salt! In my kind of homes; it gets to be a made up platter of PANTA BHAAT; ALOO CHOKHA O MOONG DAL KASURI METHIR BORA
Now, there can be a variety of sides that can go with a plate of fermented rice. Accordingly, it can be made VEGETARIAN OR NON-VEGETARIAN. In my family; DAL ER BORA / LENTIL FRITTERS were a must with panta bhaat; particularly of red lentil & onion and potato-onion fry / aloo peyaz bhaja. Besides, you can keep adding; fish fry, mashed potato, even dried fish bharta. You can see in the pictures; besides a split, de-skinned moong bean & dried fenugreek leaves PAKORA / FRITTER and ALOO CHOKHA, I had included borboti o lotey shutkir tarkari / long beans & dried fish veggie too. The plate of PANTA BHAAT; ALOO CHOKHA O MOONG DAL KASURI METHIR BORA is an any day bliss for me. I remember, Cristine enjoyed too having it. I served the men that aloo chokha & moong dal & dry fenugreek leaves fritters with freshly made rice; they love dried fish preparations; there definitely had some meat or fish curry for them; at least an omelette! The next day; I again had it with omelette-potato curry and bottle gourd peel shobji.
In a Bengali panta bhaat platter; what remains constant are raw onions & green chillies; the sides are as per your choice. Only in the recent years, I hear fermented rice is good for health; I doubt, if it is okay for the one who wants to remain fitter. I can have it anytime with just an onion & green chilli; because it is not forced on me day in and day out.
No comments :
Post a Comment