A Bengali has some off moments in between his Ilish and Kosha Mangsho days! Its usually the day after he has had a meal of daal, chorchori, bhaja, guli kebab, macher kalia, murgir jhol, followed by a big bowl of ras malai!
The next morning after a few green pearly pills of Pudin Hara and some nasty cho-n-aa dhekur, he is finally ready to give his stomach some rest.
Its then that our Bengali walks up to his doting Mother in his white Robin-liquid-blue-washed pyjamas and sando genji, continuously caressing his belly and says, aaj kichu khabo na. (Meaning I have gas, stomach ache and indigestion and I expect to be treated like a King!)
A whining son and a fretting Mother make instant connection in a Bengali home.
On cue, Mommy starts to fan him with her haath pakha, stroking his receding hairline, and complaining at the same time how he has lost weight. Overnight.
Her love overflows and she immediately orders all cooking at home to be stopped! Its a sort of an emergency declared. Her 40-year-old needs her immediate attention and also her slow-cooked phena bhaat with some alu sheddo, deem sheddo, daal sheddo, bhindi sheddo, and all things boiled and mashed! A baby food for a 40-year-old.
Pots of rice, potatoes, eggs, and Mushurir dal are fired up. The Mother stirs them to perfection – the right consistency is verrrrry important, she will nod to herself.
The baby food is now ready for the Bengali. 
This meal will now ready the Bengali for an evening snack of shingara-jilipi and a dinner of noodles and Chili Chicken, maybe some golden fried prawns too.
12 comments:
ha ha bhalo likhecho tabe amader barite ma esab somoye jirer jhol banay. eta amader taratarir ranna...tae darun lage khete.
LOL! 40 year old baby....Pree you really crack me up!! (btw, its an Indian thing, not limited to Bengal ;)!!)
funny, I used to crave khicdi the most when I was living away from home and eating university hostel food. (The lunch menu: monday: kali daal, Tuesday: Rajma, wednesday: rajma with kali daal,thursday:kala chana, friday:kali daal with rajma...I kid you not! two years, non stop rotation of these three lentils/beans! blergh!) That's why I learnt to cook!!!
Superb !!:)...ha..ha...ha...osadharon likhechho...khubi koutukmoye :)...bangali-r buro khoka??..LOL !
wht a meal,..:-)
OMG! Heshe morejachi, I´d send this to my Mum and her friends but I don´t think they´d see the humor. They might even coutner with the age old non-arguable "when you´re a Mum, then you´ll understand..."
Hi pree,ya you can use meat balls instead of soya, gravy is really delicious so you can use anything...
Hey Pree! I came across your blog through Gagan's. Absolutely loved it! I am definitely going to try some of your recipes this week :) Do drop by sometime!
aah, just the kind of sarky post that makes me lick my chops! so is the potato/egg sheddo just that or are they two sheddos, potato and egg separate, or potatoes and eggs mashed together with uncooked mustard oil and green chillies? Sounds delicious!
@Sra, you can mash the eggs and the potato together with green chilies, mustard oil and salt, I usually do that. Unless you have a food blog and wanted to keep them intact just for a photo opp! :-)
Amar barite there is no place for mustard oil with bhaate bhaat. I generally overcook the rice with aloo and extra phyan, add in ghee, kNacha Lonka, deem, and salt. End of story.
Even if its mushur daal, if this is a phyanabhat story, no mustard oil in the picture. EVER.
@Poorna, good for you. :-)
This is the way we like it, and that's how it will remain with us.
hahaaaa .. what a lovely write up. hneshe more jachi as I visualize such a typical scene. Yes shorsher tel....! shottyi shorsher tel chara dim sheddho makha and mushur dal bhabhai jaye na. Pree I even use shorsher tel in shada bhaat :) its bliss instead of ghee. try it!
just read Poorna's comment. I don't remember ever having mushur dal or phyana bhaat with ghee!
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