My Food Story: Presenting a signature Bengali dish

My Food Story is a collection of stories and recipes that celebrate India’s traditional plant-based ingredients sourced from local biodiversity. You can see these recipes on our interactive dashboard (https://www.cseindia.org/page/myfoodstory).

Join us as we showcase the recipes shared with us by the participants of a recently concluded recipe contest. 

Banana flower delicacy is a signature Bengali dish. This recipe originally came from my grandma’s pandora’s box and was modified by my mother over time. During the monsoon, especially in the month of 'Srabon', it is a ritual in our house to make this dish of banana flower. As it was not included in the regular menu, I used to wait for it eagerly. Whenever it was made, there was a celebration. Apart from its unusual heavenly taste, it is a rich source of iron.

Banana flower delicacy

Ingredients

Banana flower cleaned and minced

Oil (preferably mustard)

Potato (cut in small pieces)

Soaked pea dal (made into a paste)

A handful of gobindobhog rice (soaked in water)

Grated coconut: 1/4 th proportion of the flower

Whole jeera (cumin)

Jeera and ginger paste

Tejpatta (Bay leaves)

Sugar (to taste)

Salt

Turmeric powder

Green Chilli

Ghee or clarified butter (to taste)

Method

Boil the banana flower and drain the water. Add oil in proportion to the quantity of the flower as it soaks oil. Fry the dal paste in small portions till they become brown. Remove. Fry the potatoes and remove.  Add tejpatta and whole jeera and after a few seconds, add soaked rice and cook for two minutes. Add sugar and ginger jeera paste. Cook in low flame till it smells. Add banana flower and stir. Now cover and cook in simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once it becomes soft, add warm water. Add salt and turmeric. Cook for three minutes on medium to high flame. Add the fried dal and potatoes. Cook for another five to seven minutes. Add grated coconut. Make sure the banana flower is fully cooked, and no water remains. Finally, add two three tablespoons of ghee. Switch off the flame, cover and let it settle. Serve with rice, chapati, paratha. Even a bowl of it alone is wholesome food.

Arpita Mukhopadhyay is a trainer from West Bengal