What is your traditional breakfast is a question that I often face. Especially from the foreign guests during our cuisine walks, all curious about Bengali food after a leisurely discussion and walk through the fascinating Gariahaat market.

The first time I heard this question, I got a little startled and could not reply quickly. Honestly, the breakfast that I have most days is toast and egg which in no way is a traditional breakfast. It rather is a hangover from the 200 years of the British Raj and Bengal being its capital for about 139 years (1772-1911). The other popular breakfast items most Bengalis would drool over and get nostalgic about be it luchi, kochuri or Radhaballavi are occasional/ festive breakfasts not to be had daily.

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I am another year older, probably another year wiser and if anything to go by my kids- I'm another notch cynical too.

Cynicism has never been my personality trait but I guess ageing slowly is not only giving me salt and pepper hair but also is toning down the tolerance level that I once was so proud of. And if that wasn’t enough,  I do not even shy away from showing my disapproval at times.

One of the things that I probably would never be in terms of, is the idea of fusion cuisine without getting the basics right. Please don’t get me wrong here. I strongly believe that food should evolve and change but at the same time am a big believer in preserving our heritage, our food culture, preserving everything that invariably is ours. So, while I will vehemently agree with you that ‘authenticity’ in food is tricky but at the same time honouring the origin of a dish and knowing the background is of utmost importance too.

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The word 'Raja', pronounced as Rawjaw is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Rajas’ meaning menstruation and a menstruating woman is called ‘Rajawshwala’. In an agrarian economy like India, Land has always been considered a mother, a mother that creates and sustains life. In Mythology too, it is believed that at the onset of Monsoon, ‘Bhudevi’ (the Mother Earth), the wife of Lord Jagannatha goes through her menstrual cycle and needs to rest. The land thus is not touched or disturbed by carrying on any sort of agricultural work. In agricultural words, the land actually is given a chance to heal from the summer heat in preparation for the upcoming important agricultural cycle that starts with the monsoon.

What happened after that is not the subject of this post. Rather when I look back to this I see a perfect case study for what Edmund Leach explained as, ‘cooking is thus universally a means by which nature is transformed into culture and categories of cooking are always peculiarly appropriate for us as symbols of social differentiation.” As a self proclaimed student of food studies this often brings me to the question whether in a country characterised by the caste system we are defined by what we choose to eat and vice-versa.

Food has a thousand connotations, you could look into it with a rose-tinted glass of nostalgia, can play with it to create a sensory experiences, or can use it as a divisive weapon.  The choice is yours to make. But with the rising intolerance in society, it is becoming more obvious how we have a preconceived notion of what is food and what is not. This is not a new phenomenon. Wading through the pages of history and anthropology will reaffirm that food preference and culinary intolerances are as old as humans coming together to form and live in society. As Claude Levi-Strauss said, “food emotions are just a learned aspect of cultural conduct and member shipping which however contribute powerfully to the creation and maintenance of social boundaries, kinship system, and power hierarchies”.

Truly, As dictated by society, this culinary casteism not only decides what is food and what is not but what kind of food should be eaten on what occasion.

The incident that I narrated, in the beginning, is an example of that. Poush sankranti in West Bengal, for the Hindu Bengalis is as much a cultural festival as it is religious. While celebrating the new harvest we offer puja to the giver of food, Goddess Lakshmi or Dhanyalakshmi. As a custom, we abstain from anything non-vegetarian during this time. But in Bangladesh for the Bengali Muslims it’s the joy of the new harvest that they celebrate with good food both veg and nonveg. The food here is an important marker to identify who we are as a group. It is on us whether we use it as a marker to differentiate and shame or embrace the diversity.

But that was at home. In the outside world our choices were often questioned. along with our native food from Midnapore which many people thought were the food of the poor and ridiculed us for eating those. It hurt me badly as a kid but with time I learned to deal with it. 

Another aspect of food that intrigues me is how food travels from one place to another and we can draw parellels between food from different geographical locations. When I look at this kholajali pithe with the numerous tiny holes on the surface, it instantly reminds me of Kerala's Appam, Moroccan Baghrir or Malaysian Apam Balik. Probably another fascinating and unknown journey of food from one place tracing which we can learn a lot about the journey of our ancestors. Thier journey for survival, the cultural amalgamations and people embracing food, making it thier own and adapting it using local ingredients and techniques.

Though same in texture, kholajali for me is more complex in technique - as it does not use any leavening agent like the other two. It uses a simple fact that when liquid batter touches the very hot surface of an Earthen pan it creates vapour, while trying to escape the vapour in turn creates hundreds of tiny holes giving it a net like appearnce. It’s the sheer ingenuity of our ancestors who played with a handful of items and applied various techniques to come out with so many different types of pithes with different textures, shapes, and tastes.

As a food enthusiast it’s an honour for me to learn and document those for the future generation.

The name kholajali refers to the words 'khola' or Earthen pan and 'jali' or net. While the first refers to the Earthen cooking pan/tawa the later, to the unique net-like texture. I believe this pitha originated in the Eastern parts of Bengal and is very famous in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh.

One can pair it with either sweet or savoury sides. In our home, it’s a winter ritual to have it with a spicy duck meat curry called Haser mangsher kalia.

This recipe calls for only three ingredients which I am talking about in the following section.

Rice flour: If you are planning to make it I would urge you to make your own rice flour which with the help of a mixer grinder is not a very difficult job. I in my next post will try to write in detail how to make your own rice flour.

Alternatively, you can soak atop or sundried rice overnight and can make a smooth paste out of it to make this pithe.

Egg: if possible use duck egg or country chicken egg as they are bigger. If you are using poultry eggs please substitute each duck egg with 1.5 of those.

Water: we need to use both warm water and room temperature water. Please read the recipe to know which one to use at what stage.

Earthen tawa: That gives the best result and we need to heat the Earthen pot on medium heat (gas burner) at least for 10 minutes before starting the process.

In case you do not have an earthen tawa use non-stick or seasoned cast iron one.

 Kholajali Pitha

(Makes 7-8)

Ingredients:

Rice flour: 1 cup (atop or raw rice)

Duck egg: 1 OR poultry egg one and half

Pinch of salt

To season the earthen pot 1 tablespoon of mustard oil mixed with 1 tbsp of water

Method:

Preparing the batter

Sieve the flour and place it in a big bowl. Add a pinch of salt.

Heat 1 cup of water till the water starts to simmer. Take off and mix with the flour. Depending on the quality of the flour the quantity will vary. Start with less water and gradually add more to get the right consistency.

Mix to get a lump-free batter and keep it pourable yet thick like a slightly thinner pancake batter.  Keep it aside for 5-7 minutes till it cools down a bit then add the egg and mix.

Now adjust the consistency with room temperature water. The thickness should be enough to pour and spread easily by swirling the pan. Please check the associated video.

Cooking the pitha.

Heat the pan to very hot then keep the heat to medium. Take the oil and water mixture in a small piece of cloth and wipe the surface of the pan. Pour a ladleful and carefully by holding the two sides of the pan swirl it to cover the surface. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium-high for 30 seconds or till the top changes colour and is cooked. Using a khunti or a spatula take it out.

Water Lily stem and Shrimp curry

The recipe today is very simple but with a spectacular flavour that with every morsel will remind you of monsoon. Just a few pantry staples and a handful of shrimps that are easily available in this season. That is the merit of regional cooking, celebrating the seasonal flavours while retaining all it's goodness.

Isn’t it confusing that in monsoon when the plants start to sprout almost everywhere making the Earth look lush and green, is also the time when we are told to refrain from eating any sort of leafy greens? India's Monsoon eating philosophy is ingrained in the age-old practice of Ayurveda and backed up by many practices, folklores, and rituals. Which probably were developed to collectively fight deadly disease outbreaks that once were very common during the rainy seasons.

Niramish dimer dalna, Egg prepared with cottage cheese and chana dal A Bengali delicacy

Jamai Shoshti falls on the sixth day of the bright fortnight on the Bengali month of Jaisthya. In this case, Shasti does not only refer to the sixth day, Rather it also mentions the Hindu folk goddess Maa Shasti- The deity of reproduction, saviour, and bestower of children. She is worshipped by every mother wishing to ensure the protection of their children and every woman waiting to conceive. The goddess is embodied as a motherly figure riding a cat and nursing up to eight babies. Though every month of the year has a devoted day to pray to maa Shoshti, the month Jaisthyo is marked only for the son-in-laws.

Now The Bengali word Jamai is associated with many other notions, like jamai ador, Jamai thakano proshno (Question to befool the son in law) and even a proverb