Written by Supreeta Mitter Has been updated: May 17, 2024
It's that time of year when your body craves light, simple dishes with less spice and more flavor.From cold hydration drinks to easy-to-cook dishes made with seasonal ingredients, take inspiration from Bengali home-cooked summer staples to create a delicious summer feast
The way our grandmothers planned seasonal menus has many advantages. Long before it became fashionable to do so, they knew exactly what vegetables, legumes and meat to cook in the summer, and what to avoid. The hot and humid summers across India create a huge appetite. In Bengali homes, this inspires creativity in the kitchen. Best known for its non-vegetarian dishes, and although fish curries seem to take over much of the conversation about Bengali cuisine, the cuisine is diverse, with seasonal and stomach-friendly dishes.
Video credit: Shampa's Kitchen
Summer lunches in particular are flavorful, easy on the stomach, and most importantly, delicious. In the winter, spicy kosher mangsho and luchi appear on the table, but in the summer, the tangy, sweet-sour, and melty curry becomes the accent. Coolers like curd decorate the table and are the king of lemons. Gondraj Levu will be making a VIP appearance. Vegetables such as lau (gourd), ucche (bitter melon), cachapepe (raw papaya), kumud (pumpkin), and raw mango are commonly eaten during this season. A drink made with raw mango, lime, and yogurt will help you cool down when the outside temperature is soaring. Try these fun Bengali summer recipes to help you beat the heat.
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A typical Bengali meal begins with thet (bitter), sweet and sour chutney, and ends with mishti (sweet). Bitter foods are believed to be good for the body and help settle the stomach. One of his most popular Titus (bitter ones) is Shukt. Cooking the perfect shukt is considered to be the ultimate test for chefs to prove their skills in Bengali kitchens. This non-spicy dish has a complex flavor profile. Summer with plenty of drumsticks, bitter gourd, eggplant, raw bananas, potatoes, fava beans, and boli (dried lentil nuggets) cooked with mustard seeds, poppy seeds, and panchphoron (a whole spice mix made with cumin seeds) Made with mixed vegetables (equal parts of nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds, wild celery seeds and fennel seeds) and milk, shukto is the perfect summer favorite.
Tokkar Dal
When green mangoes are in season, they are used almost everywhere in Bengali kitchens. Muslu dal or muslu dal prepared with raw mango is a seasonal favorite. The dal is cooked with minimal spices and the tadka is seasoned with mustard seeds and dry red chilies. Peeled and cut raw mangoes into strips, pressure cooked with dal to give it a perfect sour taste. Tokkar dal served with hot rice and fries is a delicious summer treat.
Panta Bart
In 2021, the rustic Bengali pantabaat became world-famous when MasterChef Australia season 13 contestant Kishwar Chaudhry introduced his 'smoked rice water' dish as the show's finale dish. The origins of this dish date back to the days before the invention of refrigerators. I soaked the leftover rice in water and left it outside at room temperature to ferment overnight. This not only helped preserve the rice, but the soaking water nourished the rice and was thought to be good for health. This dish is usually eaten the next day and is served with green chillies, raw onions, lemon, mashed potatoes, mashed taro leaves, and even fried ish maha (hilsa) or other fish.
The beginning of neem
This dish of stir-fried eggplant and Indian neem leaves in mustard oil is a traditional dish in Bengali households. In addition to neem's great benefits and antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties, this dish is thought to boost the immune system. It is also the easiest to cook. Marinate the diced eggplant with salt and turmeric powder. Next, fry the neem leaves along with the eggplant marinated in mustard oil until the mixture is coated with oil and all the ingredients are well fried. Neem leaves burn easily, so be careful when frying or placing them in hot oil. Many households buy fresh neem leaves the day before they want to cook them and store them in a glass of water until they are ready to use them. Neem bigun is mashed and eaten with hot rice.
Murgir jhol (chicken curry) and manshor jhol (mutton curry) are often featured in Bengali families' Sunday lunches. In the summer, the curry becomes thinner, lighter, and even more fragrant. The gravy is red due to the use of Kashmiri chili powder, but unlike other Chichen curries, Murgir Jhol is not too spicy. No Bengali joor is complete without potatoes, and this curry is made with plenty of half-cooked potatoes. The star element is the enchanting taste and aroma of Gondraj His Rebu. Serve with hot rice and enjoy a post-meal nap on a lazy summer afternoon. There's a reason this dish is popular on Sunday menus.
Although khichudi is popular across India, Bengal's khichuri, made with roasted moong dal and aromatic gobind bhog rice, has a place of its own. Potatoes, cauliflower florets, and tomatoes are often added to a mix of spices such as dried red chili peppers, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin seeds. In many households, desiccated coconut is also added to khichuri. It is best served with fried potatoes or fried eggplant marinated in salt and turmeric.
Light and melty, aam el tok, also known as ambol, is perhaps the best example of perfectly balanced flavors: savory, sweet, and tangy all at once. Small, unripe green mangoes are best for making this. Mangoes usually take about 5 minutes to cook. If you overcook the mango, it will fall apart and become mushy. Flavored with mustard seeds and red chili peppers, this dish is often a substitute for dessert on hot summer days. It is best eaten chilled, but it can also be refrigerated for quite a while.
