Iftar on the very first day of Baishakh? A challenging task indeed for anyone who is responsible for planning or cooking the food in the house! Normally, one would consider a dish of panta-ilish, shutki, and different kinds of bhortas. As an alternative, luchi/puri, pitha and sandesh could have been thought of. But during the month of Ramadan, it is not that simple.  One needs to carefully take into account the season and the fasting period.

Here is a selection of recipes that could be prepared for iftar on Pahela Baishakh.

CHARRED GREEN MANGOSHERBET

What isPahelaBaishakhwithout a glass of freshgreen mango sherbet? It isrefreshing, appetising, and super nutritious.It is also good for the stomach and the digestive system.

Ingredients

4 large green mangoes

½ tsp rock salt

1 tbsp mint leaves

4 glasses of water

Sugar to taste

Sea salt to taste

1 tsp chaat masala

Crushed or ice cube

Method

Wash and burn the green mangoes on a gas oven in low heat. When done, peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Blend all ingredients except ice, until smooth. Now pour in the glasses and add ice to it. Garnish with the mint leaves and serve.

PURI

These sinful, deep fried,puffedbreadsaremost commonly served duringbreakfast.Purisare little discs ofwhole wheat dough that are deep fried inhot oil or ghee. Due to the steam theypuff up andin afew second you have the most delicious friedbread. They are an indulgence,but worth every little bite.

Ingredients

2 cup whole wheat flour

2½ tbsp oil

½ tsp salt

½ cup water

Oil for deep frying

Method

Combine flour, salt, and oil. Rub everything together. Slowly add water and only as much as you need to make a tight dough. Knead for 5-6 minutes, form a ball, coat the ball with half tsp of oil. Set it aside. The dough should be stiff enough to roll without flour. Divide the dough into 10-12 parts. Roll these into balls between the palms of your hands until they are smooth and without cracks. Take each ball of dough and roll into 4-5 inch discs. Heat oil in a wok. Put the puri into hot oil, and using a spatula, immediately start ladling hot oil on top of the puris. When it puffs up fully, flip the puri over and cook the other side until light brown. Drain oil on paper towels and serve hot.

ALOORDOM

The combination ofaloordomandpuriis one of my most favourite dishes for breakfast. This combo is very popularin every Bengali household.You can include this meal any time of the day.

Ingredients

½ kg baby potatoes

¼ cup mustard oil

1 tsp chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp panchphoron

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp ginger paste

3 tbsp yoghurt

1 tsp sugar

2 pcs cardamom

Salt to taste

Method

Boil the potatoes and peel each one of them. In a heavy bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, add a pinch of salt and turmeric powder to it and shallow fry the potatoes till they are slightly roasted. Keep all potatoes aside. In a same pan, add 2 tbsp oil. Add the panchphoron and let it splutter a little. Now add rest of the turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, ginger paste and salt with little water. Cook it for few minutes. Now add roasted potatoes, sugar and little more water. Bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes with the lid on. Finally add the yoghurt and cardamom. Cook for a few minutes till it all comes together. Serve it with puri.

FLATTENED RICE PULAO

Flattened rice, pressed rice, chira — it is a very good source of iron and quite easy to digest. The addition of chicken, vegetables and spices, makes it a very tasty and filling dish.

Ingredients

1 cup pressed rice, thick variety

½ cup mixed boiled vegetable (green peas, carrot, potato)

½ cup chicken, cut into small cubes

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

¼ cup grated onion

3 green chillies

¼ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

¼ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

1 tbsp ghee

Method

Wash and drain the pressed rice. In a vessel put in the pressed rice and sprinkle a little water and keep it covered. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When it splutters, put onion and sauté until golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute. Add chicken, salt and all the spices to it. Add one-fourth cup of water. When water dries up add boiled vegetable and cook until it loses its raw flavour. Add pressed rice and mix it. Lower the flame and cook for few minutes for the flavours to blend. Remove from heat and serve garnished with coriander leaves.

COCONUT MAWA BARFI

Ingredients

1 cup desiccated fresh coconut

2 tbsp ghee

½ cup sugar

¼ cup mawa

¼ cup milk

¼ tsp cardamom powder

Nuts for garnishing

Method

Grate the mawa using a fine grater. Firstly, grease a tray with ghee and set aside. Now heat ghee in a heavy bottom non-stick pan. Add mawa and sugar to it and mix gently. Add milk and mix. Cook on low flame for 2 minutes. By now mawa should start to melt. At this point add the desiccated coconut and cardamom powder and stir well. Keep stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes. Once the mixture thickens switch off the flame. Now transfer it to a greased tray and pat it gently. Garnish it with chopped nuts and set it aside for 1 hour. Once cool, cut into desired shape and serve.

MURALI

Muralis are crunchy, white, sugar coated sticks that are great as snacks. These can be stored for long in air tight containers, and just like nimkis, taste great with tea.

Ingredients

2½ cup all-purpose flour

2½ tbsp milk powder

Water as needed

Oil for deep frying

2 cups sugar

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

Method

In a bowl, pour flour, milk, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and add water to it. Knead well and make the dough. Make four parts from the dough. Roll each part out with about ½ inch thickness. Then cut the slab into finger long sticks. Now heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the sticks on low heat until crunchy. Make sure these do not turn red.

For the sugar coating —

In a saucepan, mix 1 cup of water with sugar. Stir on medium heat to make thick syrup. Then add the fried sticks. Mix well. Allow the sticks to cool. Store and serve.

MURIRMOA (PUFFED RICE BALLS)

Ingredients

250g puffed rice

700g jaggery

2 cups water

Method

Dry roast the puffed rice in a cast iron skillet for about a minute. Take them out from the skillet and keep aside. Place jaggery and water in a pan. Dissolve the jaggery over low heat. Once the jaggery dissolves, increase the heat and bring it to boil and cook over full flame until a two- thread consistency is reached. Mix in the puffed rice quickly into the mixture. Take it off the heat and let it cool for a while. Make round balls by moistening the hands if the mixture is too sticky. Leave it to cool and serve.

MURKI

This is a simple sweet dish made from khoi and jaggery. The dish is very popular in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. In West Bengal it is called 'upra' and prepared during festivals.

Ingredients

250g khoi (popped rice)

250g grated jaggery

1 cup water

1 tbsp ginger juice

Method

Pour 1 cup of water in a pan and add jaggery. Keep the pan on medium flame. Keep on stirring until the jaggery becomes sticky. Now switch off the gas and after three minutes add khoi and ginger juice. Mix continuously with a spatula for the proper coating of jaggery. Allow it to cool down. After cooling, store murki in an air tight container.

NIMKI

Nimki, also known as 'namak para,' is a traditional Bengali snack made of white flour. It is a tasty, light, crunchy snack that can be made anywhere, any time without much hassle. The best thing about nimki is that it can be stored for a long time without using any kind of preservatives.

Ingredients

2 cups white flour

½ tsp kalojira (aniseed)

4 tbsp ghee

½ cup water

Salt to taste

Oil for deep fry

Method

In a bowl, mix flour, salt, kalojira, and ghee. Now add water to it and make a dough. Keep it aside. Covered with a wet cloth for 15 minutes. Roll the dough into thin chapatis. Cut them into shapes of your choice with a knife. Now heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the nimkis on low heat until they turn light brown and crispy. When done, remove from heat and set aside on a paper towel to drain oil and cool. Store in an air tight container so that it lasts long.

Tip: Make sure you fry nimkis on low heat. If the flame is high the nimkis will turn brown quickly and will remain raw and soft inside.

GOJA

Ingredients

2 cups refined flour

1 cup sugar

A pinch of baking powder

2 tbsp ghee

2 green cardamom

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Oil for deep fry

Method

Combine sugar, water and cardamom pods in a heavy bottom pan. Bring to a boil. Stir frequently. As the syrup thickens, reduce the heat and test the consistency. Once the sugar syrup has reached a two-string consistency, turn off the heat and add lemon juice (this prevents the syrup from crystallising). Keep warm.

 In a bowl mix flour, salt and baking powder. Add ghee and work it well into the mixture. Add water little by little and knead until a stiff dough is formed. Divide the dough into equal portions and using rolling pin roll out into ovals. Make several slashes on the ovals with a knife or a fork. Heat sufficient ghee or oil in a pan and deep fry the gojas until light brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on an absorbent paper to remove excess oil or ghee. Dip the fried gojas in sugar syrup. Coat rapidly and remove quickly. Toss till dry and crisp.

COCONUT TEEL PITHA

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour

½ cup plain flour

½ cup roasted sesame seeds

½ cup freshly grated coconut

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

Method

Combine the milk, plain flour and rice flour in a bowl and whisk well so that no lumps remain. Keep aside. Combine the sugar, sesame seeds and coconut in a bowl. Mix well and keep aside. Heat a non-stick pan and grease with little butter. Pour 2 tbsp of batter and spread to make a small round thin pitha. Cook lightly on both side. Spread 2 tbsp of coconut-sesame mixture on half side and cover with other half to form a semi-circle. Repeat the same to make more pithas using remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Styling: RBR

Food: Selina Parvin