Winter Special Bengali Cauliflower Delicacies! One Must Try!

Bengalis love devouring Phulkopir Singara, a seasonal delicacy while sipping their favourite cha or tea. Singara is similar to samosa, but distinct. The crust of phulkopir singara is made with refined flour, and it is both crunchy and light. The stuffing, which has the well-rounded flavours of cauliflower, potato chunks, green peas (pods), and spices, makes it notably different from samosa.

The colder months bring the tastier seasonal cauliflower, and Bengali culinary enthusiasts get creative. This becomes the season for them to pair their beloved posto or poppy seeds with cauliflower. Thus, arrives on the table phulkopi posto, a dish with a creamy and nutty texture and flavour. It tastes fantastic with hot steamed rice. 

The cauliflower is shallow-fried before being cooked with spices in phulkopir roast. Its USPs are the texture and flavour, which are crisp and soft. It includes spices, including cumin seeds, chillies, turmeric, and Bengali garam masala. A tiny bit of curd and a paste of poppy, cashew, and melon seeds are added to give it a creamy texture. 

Rezala was inspired by the Nawabs, who ruled Bengal. The mutton version made by Rezala is prevalent. Later, veggies and chaana, or cottage cheese, were added to make the vegetarian version. One of them—Phulkopir Rezala—uses cauliflower in place of meat. This dish calls for cooking large cauliflower florets in a base of creamy curd and cashew nut mixture. It has a very subtle flavour.

Bengalis like to use phulkopi or cauliflower along with their favourite jhol or jhal fish dishes. One of them is Phulkopi Koi Macher Jhol. The delicious koi fish or climbing perch is fried. The jhol or curry consists of new potatoes, cauliflower, green chillies, cumin powder, garam masala, and crushed paste. As a finishing touch to intensify the flavour, fresh coriander leaves are added.