A few staples in a Bengali household!

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!