By Suprita Mitter
October 8, 2024
Not all the best Durga Pujo snacks are non-vegetarian. Bengali vegetarian snacks for Pujo are a delightful blend of flavours and textures, celebrating simplicity and tradition. These snacks often feature a mix of local spices, seasonal vegetables, and lentils, offering a perfect balance of savoury, spicy, and sometimes mildly sweet tastes.
Shingara is a popular Bengali cousin of the North Indian Samosa. The deep-fried pockets are filled with a spicy mixture of potatoes, green peas, peanuts and cauliflower.
Peyaji are onion fritters. Onion slices are dipped in a batter made with besan (gram flour) and spices and then deep-fried until golden brown. They are also called onion pakoras or Kanda bhajiyas in other parts of India.
Another version of this dish is the Beguni which is made with thinly sliced eggplants also dipped in a maida batter and deep fried. The Beguni is popular both as a snack and also a side dish served with Dal-rice or Khichudi.
These are deep-fried cutlets made from mocha or banana flowers. The chop usually has an elliptical shape and pairs well with tea.
Muri, or puffed rice, is often eaten in a Bengali home. The puffed rice is mixed with chopped onions, green chillies, and mustard oil. Jhalmuri is a spicy version of this snack where spicy chanachur, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, peanuts, and various spices are added with freshly squeezed lime.
Ghugni is a spicy, savoury snack made from dried yellow peas or white peas cooked with spices, tamarind, and sometimes meat. It is garnished with chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Nimki are small, diamond-shaped fried snacks made from flour and seasoned with Kalonji (nigella seeds) and salt. These crunchy nibbles are the most common tea time snacks in Bengal.