5 traditional Bengali recipes to prepare on Pohela Baishakh
Summer season is here and Bengalis are gearing up for the Bengali New Year or Pohela Baishakh which will be celebrated on April 15 this year. The date of the festival is decided as per the lunisolar Bengali calendar. The festival is incomplete without Noboborsho-special thalis, prayers, and rituals. If you're away from home, try these authentic Bengali recipes to celebrate Pohela Baishakh.
Basanti pulao
Fry cashews and raisins in ghee. Add more ghee to the pan and saute cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf in it. Add ginger paste and fry well. Wash rice and smear it with turmeric and ghee. Add it to the pan and mix well. Add water, sugar, salt, cashews, and raisins, and mix well. Add more ghee, mix, and serve.
Aloo posto
Roast poppy seeds in a pan for one minute. Grind the roasted poppy seeds with green chilies and water to form a paste. Deep-fry chopped potatoes in oil and keep aside. Saute cumin seeds, dried red chilies, and turmeric powder in oil. Add poppy seed paste and salt and cook for two minutes. Add potatoes, and water and simmer well. Serve with rice.
Chanar payesh
Boil full-cream milk in a pan and cook well for 15 minutes to reduce it to half. Mash paneer and semolina together into a smooth paste. Make tiny balls out of the mixture. Add sugar, elaichi, and saffron to the thickened milk and mix well. Add the paneer balls and stir well for 10 minutes. Refrigerate, garnish with almonds and serve chilled.
Shukto
This vegetarian dish has a bitter-sweet taste and is a must-have in an authentic Bengali thali. Put chopped plantain, bitter gourd, potato, sweet potato, French beans, and drumstick in turmeric water. Saute paanch phoron (Bengali five-spice masala), and ginger paste in mustard oil. Add chili powder, mustard paste, and turmeric, and cook well. Add the vegetables and water and cook again. Serve with rice.
Kosha mangsho
Saute cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon in oil. Add chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, and chili powder, and stir-fry the mixture. Add mutton pieces and stir-fry again. Saute the meat well till the fat gets separated. Add cumin, salt, and yogurt, and cook well. Cover and cook the mixture again until the mutton is soft and well-cooked. Serve hot with rice or luchi.
