Bengali Niramish Thaali ~ Uchche Bhaja / Bengali Bitter Gourd Fry

A 'Niramish' thaali is a Bengali veg thaali that is prepared adding no onion or garlic and with minimal usage of spices. In short, it is what is called a satvik thaali in other parts of India. I may have gone overboard and added an extra dish or two in my everyday thaalis that I have been posting for the past three days. However  Bengali cuisine is the only one that has a traditionally developed multi course tradition, among the regional cuisines of India that is similar in structure to French cuisine. A traditional, every day meal platter in Bengal would look somewhat  like this though it may not be a true replica. Of course there would be fish / meat in a Bengali household if it is not a niramish thaali. 

A niche of vegetarian cooking seems to have evolved and thrived in spite of no one being a vegetarian in Bengal because of an unusual reason. The full glory of the vegetarian cooking and the credit seems to go to the high caste widows of the bygone era who had to live under various restrictions. Restrictions that were imposed on their lives in the guise of puritanical beliefs which did not apply for widowers. 

The widows were given full meal once a day and were forbidden from eating or cooking or for that matter even smelling fish, meat, garlic, or onion. Even the masoor dal which is a 'must have' dal for Bengalis, and expensive spices were strictly forbidden. Dairy products, nuts and dry fruits were scarce as well. Basically they had a 'pre and post' widowhood diets. They were relegated to a separate kitchen, had to rely on the meager supplies, taking the responsibility for the vegetarian part of the meal for the family. They had to relearn to come up with new set of meals even using the odds and ends and cheap spices as they no longer had access to their own kitchen or supplies. The silver lining of this plain misogyny has been that the taboos, the social and economic restrictions and the harsh dietary rules seem to have created a section of vegetarian cuisine with a wide range, and subtlety where nothing is wasted. 

1. Tomato chutney 2. Begun Basanthi 3. Kumror Chakka 4. Cholor Dal

I went through a lot of Bengali food posts and videos to get the gist below. I would have acquired some degree in the time I spent on researching regional cuisines of India for various thaalis. 😇 Coming to my thaali, I repeat, it is a platter that represents a traditional style every day meal that allows one to savor the six flavors / rasas. People nowadays however skip some courses in the daily grind. 

Daily meals are nutritionally balanced and makes use of vegetables extensively. The meal revolves around rice and the courses progress from lighter to richer and heavier. There would be fried breads served for special occasions. I have given a general glimpse of how the courses are served below. There is always a lemon wedge and green chili to go with the meal, a common feature in eastern parts of India. Pickles may be served as an accompaniment to dal / lentil dish and a papad with chutney.

My menu had rice with lemon, green chili and the following courses.
Ucche bhaja -  Fried bitter gourd slices
Cholor dal - Split chickpea dal
Jhurjhura aloo - Fried potato juliennes
Kumror chakka - Pumpkin and potato curry
Begun basanthi - Eggplant in yogurt and mustard gravy
Tamatar Chaatni - Tomato chutney
Rajbhog for dessert

1. A bitter (side) dish 
Every day lunch starts on a bitter note, literally. Bengalis starting course is usually a bitter gourd or tender neem leaves preparation. This is true especially during summers. It is to cleanse one's internal system and palate before you dig into rich and complex food. Portions are usually tiny unless if it is the medley of vegetables called shukto. I served ucche bhaja aka bitter gourd fry which seemed more practical and easier. 

2. Dal 
There would be a savory dal which may again change seasonally and occasion wise. Masoor dal and moong dal are the commonly used dals in Bengal while surprisingly toor dal / pigeon peas which is common in south India is rarely used. Urad dal / skinned black gram is cooked when pairing with potato based side dishes. Cholar dal is reserved for special occasions and that is what I cooked which was one of the highlights of the platter if you ask me.

3. Bhaja / Bora - Fried vegetables / Vegetable fritters
The above dal would be paired with a bhaja or a bora which surely is a tempting combo. This section is irresistible even without the dal if you ask me. 😀 Vegetables are fried either plain (bhaja) or with a batter coating (bora). Even fish are fried this way.

Some choices for fried vegetables are potatoes, eggplants, parval, bitter gourds. And for the vegetable fritters / vegetable bhajias which are called bora, choices may be a beguni bora (eggplant fritter),  fulkopir bora (cauliflower fritter), posto r bora (poppy seeds fritters), narkeler bora (coconut fritters), cilantro fritters and so on. I had jhurjhura aloo, crisply fried potato for this course.

Ucche bhaja (Bitter gourd Fry) and Jhurjhura aloo (Deep fried potato juliennes)

4. A vegetarian side dish 

It can be a dry one or one with gravy prepared using seasonal vegetables. Torkari, dalna, ghontos, labra fall under this category. Sometimes the vegetable preparations may have pieces of fish as well. I made kumror chakka - a potato, pumpkin and black chickpeas curry that is mildly spiced.

5. Rich gravy curry

This is the main course where usually Bengalis serve a non vegetarian curry prepared with fish / other sea food / meat at this point. It would be a gravy dish for vegetarians like dhokar dalna (gravy with lentil cakes), chanar dalna (cottage cheese and potatoes) which is I am assuming should be a protein alternative to meat counterpart. 

I found a yogurt - mustard based curry called begun basanthi suitable for this course. The mustard overpowers the taste department and we thought it is an acquired taste. 

6. Chaatni / Chutney

Chaatni / tak / tok, is typically a sweet and tangy chutney that is served almost at the end of the meal and is almost always made fresh. Bengalis don't eat chutneys at the beginning of the meal or even as a dip or relish.They eat it just after they finish eating the fish / meat course and right before the dessert, just to ease from one course to another. Tomato chutney in winter and green mango one in summer are popular. Some of the other chutneys are pineapple chutney and raw papaya chutney called plastic chutney, and ones made with fish. I made the one with tomato, raisins and dried mango. 

7. Doi / Misthti - Yogurt / Dessert
The meal ends usually with a serving of yogurt or sometimes a sweet dish. We had rajbhog.

I am going to post the recipes for the dishes presented in this platter in the near feature. Tomato chutney recipe has been already posted here. The below recipe is for uchche bhaja aka bitter gourd fry. Uchche are a local variety of bitter gourds in Bengal which are smaller in size than regular bitter gourds. This is a simple fry where bitter gourd slices are fried until crisp in mustard oil. Or one can use oil of their choice to fry.

Directions for pan frying:
1. Rinse and dry the bitter gourds. Chop off the ends and cut them into thin slices. Soak them in water for about 10 to 15 minutes and drain the water. Or smear them with salt and turmeric and let them sit for about 15 minutes.

2. Heat mustard oil in a thick bottomed pan until smoking point. You may use around 3 - 4 tbsp. oil for about a cup of vegetable slices.

3. Fry them on medium heat until they turn golden brown, flipping them in between. Sprinkle a pinch of turmeric powder, salt and chili powder as needed. Stir to combine, cook for about 30 seconds and turn off the stove.

4.  Serve warm with rice.

I air fried the bitter gourds instead of frying. I used slices from 4 bitter gourds,and followed step 1 from above. I lightly patted them dry and brushed with a tsp. of oil and sprinkled salt over them. I air fried them at 370 deg F until almost done. Finally lightly brushed again with oil, sprinkled a pinch turmeric and chili powder over them and shook them to uniformly coat the chili. I put them back and air fried for a minute or so. Guilt free, crisp bitter gourd fry was ready to go.

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