Bengali's bhartas

Along with dal, bhortas are possibly the quintessential Bengali food, a staple in our diet. Here, they are rarely served on formal occasions and in celebrations, but such is their charm that expatriates regularly serve these even in their grandest parties, for the taste of home. 

The key elements present in all bhartas are mustard oil, onions and chillies. Every other ingredient takes a second stage, and may be boiled, roasted, steamed, even charred!

Charred eggplant bhorta with egg

In South Asia, eggplant is known as brinjal. Charred eggplant is very popular in Bangladesh and most Indian states, where the pulp of this vegetable is mixed with onion, chilli, salt and mustard oil. Sometimes other ingredients, like eggs, are added to give it a different taste.

Ingredients

2 eggplant s

2 chicken eggs

2 tbsp thinly sliced onions

½ tsp thinly sliced garlic

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

4 green chillies

3 tbsp mustard oil

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and char the eggplants in a gas oven or charcoal fire in low heat. When it is done, peel the skin. Mash eggplant with red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and keep aside. Now heat oil in a pan and add onions and garlic. Fry them till golden brown. 

Put the mashed eggplant in it and stir few minutes. Now add the beaten eggs slowly in it. Keep stirring. The eggs will soon create small lumps. When oil floats over the surface, remove the pan and prepare to serve.

Tips

Brush oil on the surface of the eggplant before charring. This will make peeling the skin easier.

Tomato bhorta

Tomato is essentially a winter vegetable, however they are now grown throughout the year by means of greenhouse farming. 

Ingredients

5 tomatoes

2 medium finely chopped onion

3 clove garlic, chopped

½ inch ginger, finely chopped

1 brunch chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp mustard oil

Method

Wash the tomatoes; wipe it dry. Apply little oil on its surface and roast them over the flame till its outer surface turns blackish and flaky. Peel off the burnt skin off the roasted tomatoes. Add onion, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, salt and mustard oil. Mash everything well. Serve with rice, khichuri or roti.

Taki macher bhorta 

Ingredients

4 pieces of a large fish

Pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder

3 medium onions; thinly sliced

5 dry red chillies, toasted

¼ tsp chopped ginger

3 tbsp mustard oil

Salt to taste

Method

Cut and wash the fish thoroughly. Now rub turmeric, chilli powder and salt on the fish pieces. Leave it for 15 minutes. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the fish pieces until light brown. Allow it to cool down. Take out the bones from the fish. Now using your hand mix all the ingredients with the deboned fish. Mix well and serve.

Chapa-shutkir bhorta

Unlike other shutkis, it is not dried under the sun and hence technically not a shutki. It is kept in an earthen pot for about 5-6 months buried underground. Hence the name chapa. Chapa-shutki is usually made from puti fish.

Ingredients

100g chapa shutki

½ cup grated onion

1 tbsp grated garlic

10 dry chillies

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Method

Wash chapa-shutki properly. Blend all the ingredients except oil. Make a smooth paste. Now heat oil in a pan. Add the paste and stir continuously. When the oil floats on the surface, remove the pan and serve with hot plain rice.

Data shaker bhorta

Ingredients 

Sprigs of daata shak

1 tbsp chopped onions

½ tbsp chopped garlic

5 dry red chillies, roasted

1 tbsp mustard oil

Salt to taste

Method

Cut and wash daata shak. In a pan, cook the shak with a pinch of salt on low heat. Cook until the water is fully reduced. Allow it to cool. Now mash the cooked shak with other ingredients and make a bharta. 

Oal kochu bhorta (elephant foot yam)

In Bangla elephant foot yam is known as oal. It is also grown in abundance in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. In Bangladesh it is used mostly in curries, or in mashed form; even pickles. The leafy part of elephant foot yam is also eaten as a green vegetable and is called oal-shak.

Ingredients 

250g elephant foot yam

2 tbsp fried sliced onion

½ tsp fried sliced garlic

1 tsp fried mustard seed powder

1 tsp fried red chilli flakes

2 tbsp mustard oil

2 tsp pickle

Salt to taste

Method

Cut and wash the elephant foot yam. Boil with little water until the yam is cooked and water is fully reduced. Allow it to cool. Now mash the elephant foot yam with other ingredients. Mix well. Mash and serve.

Chingri macher bhorta

Ingredients

250g shrimps

4 green chillies, sliced

4-5 dried red chilli

2 medium sized onions, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

1tbsp mustard oil

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Cut and wash shrimps. Let the water drain out. Heat a pan with mustard oil. Fry the shrimps. Transfer the fried shrimps onto a plate. In a same pan add green chillies, red chillies, onions and garlic, fry the ingredients as well. Set aside. Now grind all the ingredients. Mix in salt and coriander leaves. Mix well and serve.

Dal bharta

Ingredients

½ cup moshur dal

1 big onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 dry red chilli

1 tbsp mustard oil

Salt to taste

Method

Boil the dal until the water evaporates and dal becomes soft. Set aside for cooling. Toast the dry red chillies till turn dark and crisp. On a bowl, mix the toasted dry chillies, onion slices, salt and mustered oil. Mix in the cooked dal with the onions and the chillies. Serve with plain white rice.

Potol bhorta (pointed-guard bharta)

Potol bhorta, a traditional Bengali recipe, very quick and easy to prepare with few ingredients. It goes well with steamed rice or roti.

Ingredients

500g potol (pointed gourd)

2 chopped onion

½ tsp chopped garlic

1 chopped tomato

½ tsp nigella seeds

2 green chillies

4 slit green chillies

A pinch of turmeric powder

Salt to taste

3 tbsp mustard oil

Method:

Take a potol, cut into halves and discard seeds. Wash them and chop roughly. Using ½  cup of water, grind potol, tomato and 2 green chilli into a paste. Heat oil in a frying pan, add nigella seeds. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add onion and garlic and fry till light brown. Add the potol paste, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Keep stirring till all water evaporates. Add slit green chilli and stir till oil separates from the mixture. Remove pan from the heat. Cover the pan, give few minutes standing time. 

Delicious potol bhorta is ready to serve.

Raw mango bhorta

This appetiser is loved by many. You can easily prepare it for yourself, for your friends and family members. Mango bhorta is one of the ubiquitous items during summer in every Bangladeshi household. 

Ingredients

1 cup raw mango, cut into small pieces

1 tsp chopped green chillies

1 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp toasted red chilli, ground

¼ tsp toasted coriander powder

Method

First take a small bowl. Pour small pieces of mango. Add chopped green chilli, sugar, chilli powder and salt. Toss and mix the ingredients with a spoon. Add toasted coriander powder. Mix and toss again. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed with each other well and spices are mixed with the mangoes. Raw mango bhorta is ready.