You know I have seen people
having this notion that what marks out a Bengali household is the smell of the
frying fish!! That’s not fair, you know….i mean I agree that fish and football
course through our veins and every general tête-à-tête is bound to end up with
a heated argument on mohunbagan and east Bengal (maybe KKR has stolen a bit of
that spotlight) or the price of ilish
and chingri!! But then that’s not all there is to Bengalis….so I’m gonna take
you on a tour to the vivid world of “babumoshais”!!
Right from the start while
we are gulping down Woodward’s gripe water or nibbling on dulaler taalmishri,
we become acutely aware of the exclusivity of our surrounding….a baby is always
covered in layers of clothing irrespective of the weather, it is given a
massage with mustard oil in which some nigella seeds have been crackled (no
Johnson’s baby oil or dabur lal tail for our ‘shonamonis’ you see)! Even
storytelling has uniqueness….how can we forget Thakumar Jhooli! It is like an heirloom
handed down through generations and you would surely find one in every Bengali
household!! The stories are fantastic merging the factual with the ethical! 
More or less, every Bengali is an avid reader…so it is inevitable to
find a fully stacked bookshelf. The choice can range from bizarre to accurate,maudlin to impassive but there is a
permanent fixture….something written by Tagore!! The influence of Tagore is not
contained to tomes but is evident in music as well…yeah I maybe “a rock chic in
a hard rock world” but Tagore will always be the “chicken soup” for my harried
soul!! The bearded bard of the east continues to touch our hearts with his heart-warming
songs and poetry…check this….
“It took me many days; it
took me many miles;
I spent a great fortune; I
travelled far and wide,
To look at all the
mountains,
And all the oceans, too.
Yet, I did not see, two
steps away from home,
Lying on a single stalk of
rice:a single drop of dew".......
this was written by Tagore for
Satyajit Ray….from one luminary to another……and it reminds me of every
bengali’s passion for cinema…..and I’m not just talking ‘bout the Bollywood
flicks but parallel and vernacular films too….we enjoy watching serious
films…something by Rituporno ,aparna sen,ritwik ghatak, mrinal sen or the stalwart Satyajit Ray….who can forget
pather panchali, aguntuk, mrigaya, shakha-proshaka,paromitar ek din,chowringhee…or
the old Bengali classics like mouchak,dhanyee meye….u ought to find dvds(even
pirated ones) in our home n hearth!! It is this love for films that make our
teachers go the extra bit and explain ‘bout a film montage while teaching “the
wasteland” by Eliot!
It is not just films that tug at our heart….we are crazy
‘bout festivals….not just Durga Pujo but any and every festival. That’s why we
have this saying in bangla” baro mashe tero parbon”…literally meaning (no…not
the restaurant of course) 13 festivals in just 12 months!! We are a religious
lot…so u would always find this in our homes….yeah that’s a conch shell, which
is generally blown in the evening as part of the sandhya aarti and a laxmi
panchali!! But festivals don’t just mean puja and aarti and mantras….they mean
dressing up too….well Bengalis are ostentatious when it comes to dressing up….from
Gucci’s to the ghatcholas, Bvlgari to Balucharis you would find apparel aplenty
in the wardrobes!! But there would always be the evergreen ‘dhakais’ and the’
dhuti panjabi’….and don’t miss out those tiny shiny buttons…wearing your
Panjabi without them is like a major fashion faux-pas!! Festivals mean lots of
‘bhuri bhoj’ meaning eating out…we love food and the proof to that is the
innumerable restaurants to the endless street food stalls….from trincas to
tangra, Piping to Putiram….it’s a gastronomical paradise!!
Well, that’s all I can think of which make me a true blue
Bengali…I might have missed out on many things…but guess that’s okay, I’m just
human!! I started with ‘thakumar jhuli’ and I’m gonna end with’ thakumar
shosher jhal’….coz I think that’s a befitting end to this paraphernalia!! The
beauty of this dish is that in spite of being simple it is simply delectable
and can be made with almost any variety of fish!! The real art lies in the
grinding of mustard seeds but in this jet-setting world you find a readymade
mustard paste, honey!!
Shorsher
bata diye maach
Ingredients:
1.
Fish(preferably fresh water or maybe
pomfrets)-1/2 kg
2.
Mustard seeds-1-2 tbsp
3.
Musard oil( for frying the fish and little
bit extra)
4.
Salt(to taste)
5.
2-3 green chillies
6.
Coriander leaves(for garnishing)
Method:
1. Marinate
the fish with turmeric powder and some salt.
2. Heat
oil in a wok and deep fry the fish.
3. Grind
the mustard seeds with some salt and the green chillies….keep aside the paste.
4. Heat
the remaining oil in the wok and add some nigella seeds or onion seeds.
5. Once
they splutter add the mustard paste. Stir for some time.
6. Add some
water and then add the fish. Check the seasoning.
7. Cover
and cook till gravy gets thick.
8. Garnish
with coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice!
