“Eating certain food can send you on a one-way trip to memory lane faster than you can say, “more, please”. The kind of warm comforting feeling I get when I see a bowl of rice, fried fish and an array of delicious and colorful bhortas. Bhorta is the simplest and ultimate comfort food from Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. During Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh, Bengalis all over the world celebrate by making elaborate feasts with an array of bhortas.”

— The Spice Odysey

What is a Bhorta?

The simple bhorta, the potpourri of greens, peels, vegetables, fish, and meats that are either boiled, steamed, baked, charred or lightly fried. The most common form of bhorta in Bengali culture is Aloo Bhorta, which many will describe as mashed potatoes but it is very different from its western counterpart, more on that later. The Bengali bhortas will always have three main elements - mustard oil, shallots and dried red chilies or fresh green chilies. They are more like the Bengali versions of Salsas and Ceviches. You know how in Korean culture they have banchans, well, in our culture we have bhortas. In essence, they are a collection of small side dishes that we serve along side rice and main entrees.

Immigrant Experience

Growing up as a child of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada, my parents made every effort to instill Bangaliyana (Bengalihood) — emphasizing how important it was to recognize and remember my roots. Quite often we see children from the diaspora, not having attachments to their cultural food. There are so many reasons why this could be — parenting styles, generational gap, language barrier, lack of attachment to their motherland, as well as experiencing food shaming and racism outside of the home. In my own personal experience, one of my biggest cultural shocks was my husband not having attachments to Bangladeshi food the way I did. Stating the obvious, of course the biggest reason is that I am a first generation Bangladeshi-Canadian who spent a good part of her childhood in the motherland, whereas my husband is a second generation American-Bangladeshi, who was born and raised here in USA.

Don’t get me wrong, although I like to pull his legs and call him a coconut, he is certainly not one. He does love Bengali food like Sheem Bhaji (fried hyacinth beans), Korola Bhaji (fried bittermelon), Dim Bhuna (dry egg curry), Jhal Mangsho (spicy meat curry), just to name a few. But he doesn’t crave bhorta, bhat aar mach (mashed vegetable/relish, plain rice and fish) the way most Bengalis are supposed to. Likewise many second-generation Bangladeshis in the diaspora steer clear of delicacies like Shutki, dried fish because of it’s smell, Korola, bittermelon because it’s bitter, or Dherosh, okra because it has a slimy texture. Just like my husband, often these children grew up loving biryani, haleem, kababs, tandooris and naans but cannot grasp their parents obsession with our indigenous cuisine like bhorta, shutki and panta bhat (fermented rice).

Peasant Foods

In my husband’s understanding, bhorta and panta bhat were the food of the peasants, the diet of lower class groups, who had little access to meat. He is actually not wrong. They are indeed simple peasant food from rural Bengal, food that are ancient and indigenous to our land. Indigenous delicacies like bhorta, bhat and mach can be traced as far back as the 8th century in epic poems and folklores of the undivided Bengal, in which Bengali food is described as rice (bhat) with fresh ghee, a jute-leaf mash (bhorta) and small fish (mach) cooked inside banana leaves (paturi). When Portuguese missionary and traveler, Friar Sebastian Manrique visited Bengal in the 17th century he noticed that the people of Bengal were content with the daily meal of rice, often panta bhat, salt and shak (green vegetables). The upper class of the society consumed ghee, butter, milk and various lacteous preparations and sweetmeats.

Culinary Genocide

Dishes like biryani, kabab and naan are more recent, introduced by the Persians and Mughals and culturally enforced from 1947 till 1971 when Bangladesh was under the Pakistani regime. In the Pakistani governments efforts to assimilate Bengalis to Pakistani culture, food like roti and chapati were forcibly consumed and attempts were made to abandon eating rice. As a Bengali, can you imagine going a week without eating rice? I sure can’t.

After the Bangladesh Liberation War, to replace that which was lost, Bangladeshis looked deep within — to the regional roots of the simple bhorta, the potpourri of greens, peels, vegetables, fish, and the humble rice, to bring back the once lost Bangaliyana. Pohela Boishakh is that celebration of our Bengalihood, transcending the border between Bangladesh and West Bengal, it is the revival of the indigenous cultural roots and home-style cooking of Bengali and Bangladeshi food. In Bangladesh, a country marked by a huge chasm between the rich and the poor, the once austere mishmash of vegetables, bhorta and mach bhaja, has become the game-changer - marking the return of the privileged to the food of their forefathers. The gradual incorporation of bhorta, mach and bhaja-bhaji as a celebratory food at home and abroad is a tale of how sharing common food as a ritual can become a marker of cultural and national identity.

Recipe — Boishakhi Bhorta

Serves: 3-4

Bhorta is the chosen dish for Pohela Boishakh, celebration of the Bengali New Year in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. They are served alongside Panta Bhat (fermented rice) and Ilish Bhaja (hilsa fish fry) in Bangladesh. I have chosen to highlight five different types of bhorta for Pohela Boishakh this year. Starting from Aloo Bhorta (potatoes), Daal Bhorta (lentils), Dherosh Bhorta (okra), Begun Bhorta (eggplant) and finally Tomato Bhorta (tomato).

Aloo Bhorta | Spicy Mashed Potato

Potatoes - 3-4, Red skin potatoes or Fingerlings preferred.
Egg - 1, boiled
Onion - 1/8 cup, sliced
Dry Red Chilies - 2 to 4, depends on your spice tolerance
Salt - ½ teaspoon
Mustard oil - 2 tbsp

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Boil the potatoes, about 30 minutes until fork tender. If you are adding an egg to your aloo bhorta like I have, boil a room temperature egg in the same pot during the last 10-12 minutes (as in 18-20 minutes into boiling the potato). Once boiled, remove potatoes and eggs from water, let them cool and then peel off the skin. Try not to leave the potatoes in the boiled water longer than necessary as they absorb water and become too soft and moist. In a mixing bowl, mash the potatoes and egg by hand or a potato masher.

In a small skillet or a frying pan, roast the dry chilies until the skin goes from red to slightly blackish-brown. Do not burn the chilies. Mash the onion, chili, and salt in a bowl. Add them to the potato-egg mixture. Add mustard oil and continue mashing until everything is mixed thoroughly and the potatoes develops a sticky texture. Serve with rice.

Note about the Potatoes: For the Western mashed potatoes, the best variety is Yukon Gold or Creamer potatoes to achieve the most fluffiness. But the Bengali Aloo Bhorta should not be fluffy at all, it needs to be sticky and waxy. There is a local variety of potatoes from the Northern part of Bangladesh which are best for Aloo Bhorta. They are red skinned, really tiny, and super sticky when mashed. Unfortunately, there is no way to get our hands on that when we live outside of the country. The best potatoes to make Aloo Bhorta on this side of the ocean are red skinned potatoes or fingerling potatoes. Also do overwork the potatoes when mashing, the more you work the potatoes, the more starch gets released making it more sticky!

Daal Bhorta | Spicy Mashed Lentils

Red Lentils (Masoor Daal) - 1 cup
Onions - 1/4 cup, sliced
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ground turmeric - ½ tsp
Salt - 1 tsp (as needed)
Coriander Leaves - 1/8 cup, chopped
Mustard Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Dry Red Chili - 2 to 4, depends on your spice tolerance

Wash the lentils. In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, boil the lentils in 2 cups of water. Skim off any foam that forms on top of the lentils as it cooks. Add the turmeric and garlic. Once the lentils and water is at the same level, turn it down to low heat and keep it covered. After 5-6 minutes, remove the lid and let the water completely evaporate. Turn off the heat once the lentil looks completely dried.

In a small skillet or a frying pan, roast the dry chilies until the skin goes from red to slightly blackish-brown. Do not burn the chilies. Mash the onion, chilies, coriander and salt in a bowl. Mix in the lentils and the mustard oil. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Mash thoroughly by hand. Serve with rice.

Dherosh Bhorta | Spicy Mashed Okra

Fresh Okra - 1/2 lbs
Onion - 1/8 cup, sliced
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Green Chilies - 2 to 3, depends on your spice tolerance
Salt - ½ teaspoon
Mustard oil - 1 tablespoon

Clean the okra under water and cut them into small pieces, about 2-3 inches. In a small skillet over low heat, boil the okra pieces, in about ½ cup water with green chili, garlic and salt. Cover the lid and stir occasionally. Once the water has completely evaporated, turn off the heat and let it cool down.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sliced onion, salt, and mustard oil. Add the boiled okra mix and mash thoroughly by hand. Serve with rice.

Tomato Bhorta | Spicy Mashed Tomato

Tomatoes - 2, Beefsteak or Heirloom tomatoes preferred
Onion - 1/8 cup, sliced
Garlic - 2 clove, keep the skin on
Dry Red Chilies - 2 to 4, depends on your spice tolerance
Salt - ½ teaspoon
Mustard oil - 1 tablespoon

Clean the tomatoes and pat them dry. Char the tomatoes and garlic over open fire. Alternatively, you can roast the tomatoes and the garlic in a 450°F oven, for 15-20 minutes. It’s best when the tomato has bits of burnt skin and the garlic is completely cooked inside. Once the tomato and garlic is cooked to your liking, remove them from heat and let them cool down. Peel the garlic, it should pop right out of the cloves. Peeling the tomato skin is optional but the charred skin does add a nice smoky flavor to the bhorta.

In a small skillet or a frying pan, roast the dry chilies until the skin goes from red to slightly blackish-brown. Do not burn the chilies. Mash the onion, chili, and salt in a bowl. Mix in the charred tomatoes and garlic cloves. Add the mustard oil. Taste test and add more salt, if needed. Mash thoroughly by hand. Serve with rice.

Begun Bhorta | Spicy Mashed Eggplant

Italian Eggplant - 1
Onions - 1/8 cup, sliced
Garlic - 2 cloves
Dry Red Chilies - 2 - 4, depends on your spice tolerance
Salt - 1 tsp, as needed)
Mustard oil - 2 tbsp

Rinse the eggplant and pat it dry. Stab it a few times with a fork to poke holes on both sides. Rub it in a bit of oil and then double wrap it with aluminum foil. Turn on the gas stove to medium and place the aluminum wrapped eggplant over the fire. Keep turning it over every 10 minutes for 30 to 40 minutes. This guarantees all sides are charred evenly. Turn off the heat once the eggplant is soft and tender. Remove the eggplant from the foil and let it cool down. Peeling the eggplant skin is optional but the charred skin does add a nice smoky flavor to the bhorta. Alternatively, you can chop the eggplant into 4 inch pieces and then roast them in a 450°F oven, for 15-20 minutes, until the eggplants are soft and pulpy with charred skin.

In a skillet over low heat, roast the garlic and dry red chilies, until the garlic is soft and the chilies have changed color from red to blackish brown. Remove from heat, allow them to cool down. In a mixing bowl, combine the roasted dry chilies, garlic, onion and salt, then mash it by hand. Once completely mixed, add in the eggplant and mash more. Finally, add in the mustard oil and continue to mash until everything is thoroughly mixed. Serve with rice.

শুভ নববর্ষ! সবাইকে নতুন বছরের অনেক অনেক শুভেচ্ছা।

Shubho Noboborsho! A very happy Bengali new year to everyone.