Soumi Goswami
Sun is shining high and the heat is mighty. Summer is early this year. So, we must resort to ways to live through the soaring temperature with a cool mind and full tummy. The best way to do this is to go through today’s summer special foods list. These are the foods from Bengal that we have loved for centuries and still savor during summers to keep glowing and feel refreshing.
A Bengali meal usually has a starter of something bitter. Fried or boiled bitter gourd, or Fried Neem leaves with brinjal. Because Ayurveda has given us the goodness of herbs, vegetables, and fruits. And Bengalis have turned the tables to make these nutrient-loaded herbs into tasty food. So, Neem Begun is a dish power-packed with immunity boosters. A summer meal in Bengali homes starts with Neem Begun Bhaja or Korola Bhaja with steamed rice.
Posto is a quintessential ingredient of a Bengali platter. With Aloo, or Jhinga, or even alone, Posto vows Bengali hearts in every way. So, have it with steamed rice and green chili, or add it to an Aloo or Jhinga curry. When Posto adorns the heap of Gobindobhog rice, cutting the thin stream of mustard oil, life feels surrealistic in a simple small meal.
Sojne or as we know it Drumsticks are the food of the summers. But, do you know, Sojne Phool or Moringa flowers are the bloom of the season. Sojne Phool Chorchori is a sublime dish that feels like dollops of heaven on a plate.
Mild flavor, minimalist cooking, and healthy and tasty food, that’s a Bengali Cuisine Mantra. So, another tummy cooler from the Bengali Kitchen is none other than Biulir Dal.
How can we leave out the most important dish on the Bengali Platter? Nothing soothing than a light fish stew made in a few drops of mustard oil along with Aloo.
Being a non-Bengali you might wonder how to eat this dish. But let us tell you that Gota Sheddo is a ritualistic food prepared during Sheetal Shosti. Everyone in a Bengali household enjoys this summer cooler food prepared with whole black gram. And, yes, Gota Sheddo means boiled whole vegetables that include Brinjal, Sweet Potatoes, Green Peas, Flowering spinach, and so on. Have it with a drizzle of mustard oil on steamed rice.
