If there is one dish that renders the best of comfort to Bengali taste buds, it has to be panta bhat served with aloo sheddho. Panta bhat is prepared by soaking cooked rice in water overnight. Once the rice is fermented, salt and chilli are added to it. Panta bhat or water rice comes with a plethora of health benefits. The dish is reach is iron, calcium and potassium. It gives immense energy to the body, keeps the body cool and also helps in treating anaemia. It is the staple food of many farmers and labourers in Bengal who need to work hard constantly all throughout the day. Panta bhat is often consumed with aloo sheddo or mashed potato. Actress Anushka Sharma also indulged in the dish recently. She shared the picture of her dish on her Instagram story.
How To Make Panta Bhat At Home?
Anushka complemented her Panta bhat and aloo sheddo with begun bhaja ( fried brinjal) and a peyaji ( a Bengali fried snack). The simple yet wholesome dish is sure to get the hunger pangs high of every Bengali all over the world. The best part about Panta bhat is that it can be easily made at home with just two ingredients- rice and water. Here’s how to make Panta bhat at home:
- Soak cooked rice in water overnight. Keep the level of water a centimetre above the level of rice. Cover the rice with a lid.
- The next day, open the lid and transfer the rice to the serving plate. Do not throw away the water. Add salt to the rice and serve it with chilli, sliced onions and sliced lemons.
How To Make Begun Bhaja?
To make Begun Bhaja or fried baingan, do to following:
- Soak the baingan for 15 minutes in salted water.
- After 15 minutes, remove the water from the baingan. Also, remove the water on the surfaces of the vegetable with a clean towel.
- Make round slices of the baingan. You can also make thin long slices. But the round shape is more popular.
- Add 1/2 a tablespoon of turmeric powder and a teaspoon of red chilli powder, salt and a little sugar to the slices.
- Smear the masalas properly on the surface of the slices and keep them aside for 7 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the slices in hot oil.
Your Panta Bhat with Begun Bhaja is ready!