These Bengali Vegetarian Curries Are More Than Maach And Mishti

Many may be surprised to know that the ability to cook Shukto tests one's culinary aptitude in Bengal. Shukto is a Bengali medley meal prepared with bitter gourd, eggplant, green plantain, potato, sweet potato, drumsticks, and white radish. The usage of Randhuni and mustard paste, milk, and tempering with panch phoran are the highlights of this dish. The daler bodi (sun dried lentil nuggets) gives it a crunch.

You can woo any Bengali gourmand's heart with a posto or poppy seeds-based dish. This expensive ingredient is a staple in Bengali kitchens, and they have an array of dishes like patol posto, dherosh posto, jhinge posto, and so on. But alu posto rules the rest. This recipe calls for alu or potatoes and posto paste and tempering with black cumin seeds in mustard oil. It bars any use of turmeric, onion, and garlic. 

Kachkolar kofta was created in response to meatballs. This delicious dish consists of edible balls made from boiled potatoes and unripe banana paste, blended with some all-purpose flour as a binding agent. These round dumplings are deep-fried. These balls are then immersed in a gravy made of ginger and garam masala paste, shredded coconut, green chillies, and salt and sugar to taste.

In West Bengal, unripe jackfruit, or enchor, is regarded as vegetarian mutton. Enchor is known in Bengali as 'Gachh Pantha' (tree goat) because of its flavour and texture. Raw jackfruit is peeled and sliced into chunks (cubes) and deep-fried. These pieces are then cooked with potato chunks, ginger paste, a variety of whole and ground spices, and a generous amount of ghee. Garam masala is essential for flavouring.

Without it, any renowned Bengali restaurant's or social celebration's menu is incomplete. Mocha ghonto is a classic Bengali vegetarian delicacy. The recipe is a laborious process to make, but it is worthwhile. This niramish dish restricts any use of onion and garlic. It calls for cooking mocha or banana flowers with shredded coconut and potato chunks while using a specific blend of spices.

Erstwhile, Bengal's widows invented this decadent recipe. The recipe calls for chola er dal or Bengal gram, which is ground to a paste and then fried as small dumplings. Garam masala and ginger paste are used to make the gravy; onion and garlic are restricted. The dumplings are immersed in it, adding richness. A generous garnish of freshly grated coconut enhances the flavour and taste.