WEST BENGAL – Poshan Maah – 28 Days,28 States

West Bengal is famously known as the land of Maach (fish) and Bhaat (rice). Bengalis share an irrevocable relationship with these two foods that are a staple in almost every household. Since countless rivers surround the state, fresh sweet water fish are a major attraction with rohu, pabda and koi being the popular ones. Interestingly, there are more than forty types of freshwater fish that are popularly served in Bengal. On the vegetarian platter, one would mostly find tubers, gourds, and roots. Vegetables like plantains, potatoes, water lily roots, brinjal and beans dominate the menu.

Bengali cuisine is a blend of sweet and spicy flavours. The delicate balance between the main ingredients and the seasoning plays a starring role. The simplest of meals gain an exquisite identity on adding ‘phoron’ or a traditional mix of pungent spices. The ‘panch phoron’ is used generously and it includes a combination of five spices – cumin, nigella, fenugreek, aniseed, and mustard seed.
Here are a few delectable Bengali dishes that one must try:

BHAPA ILLISH:
A much-loved local delicacy in Bengal is an oily fish known as ‘Hilsa’ or ‘Ilish’. The tenderness of the flesh, unique taste, and silvery appeal make it the ‘queen of fish’. In fact, hilsa holds great cultural importance in Bengal and a pair of hilsa fish (Joda Ilish) is usually bought on auspicious occasions.
This recipe has been adopted from Bangladesh. In this recipe raw Ilish/Hilsa pieces are steamed in mustard along with turmeric, green chili, salt, mustard oil. This is an effortless cooking. Only marinate the fish and put into a non-stick pan and cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes

ALOO POSHTO:
Bengalis love poppy seeds. This preparation is made of poppy or Posto as the Bengalis like to call it. It is a preparation of Posto with potatoes and pointed gourd, complete with red and green chillies and sometimes coconut puree to add some much-needed spice to it. It truly is one of the classic Bengali dishes and famous food of West Bengal!

PATISHAPTA:
This is a Bengali dessert prepared in the form of thin crepes stuffed with a delicious coconut and jaggery filling. It is usually homemade with a batter of powdered rice and rolled with the preparation of coconut bits with sugar and khoya.

MISHTI DOI:
Mishti doi is a fermented sweet doi (yogurt). This type of yogurt is common in the states of West Bengal. It is made with milk and sugar/jaggery. It differs from the plain yogurt because of the technique of preparation.
Mishti doi is prepared by boiling milk until it is slightly thickened, sweetening it with sugar, jaggery, or date jaggery, and allowing the milk to ferment overnight. Earthenware is always used as the container for making this yogurt because the gradual evaporation of water through its porous walls not only further thickens the yogurt, but also produces the right temperature for the growth of the culture.

ROSGULLA:
Rosgulla is a syrupy dessert popular in the Indian subcontinent, especially in Odisha and West Bengal. The dish originated in Odisha centuries ago, while a whitish spongy variant called “Bengali Rasogolla” or “Sponge Rasogolla” became popular in Bengal in the 19th century. Rasgulla is made from ball-shaped dumplings of chana (Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough, cooked in light syrup made of sugar. This is done until the syrup permeates the dumplings.

Here I have presented some of the most amazing food items of authentic Bengal. There are a lot more food items that West Bengal has to offer, like Luchi, Mutton Biryani, Sandesh, Shukto, Bengali Lamb Curry, Doi Maach, and many many more…
These Bengali dishes ensure a hearty meal for everyone!