Bengali Recipes To Try This Navratri

Navratri is here, time for dhandiya, festivities and more. And what better way to celebrate it than with traditional Bengali recipes? Yo! Vizag brings you a recipe each for your sweet-tooth and savoury cravings this festive season.

Patishapta – A traditional Bengali sweet.

For the pancakes:

1 cup maida

1 ½ cup suji

4 tsp sugar

milk and water as required to make a batter

ghee – to fry

For the filling:

1 coconut grated

¼ kg khoa – unsweetened

sugar to taste

¼ elaichi powder

Mix maida, sooji and sugar with milk and water to make a batter. Keep aside.

Heat a kadai, mix all the ingredients of the filling together, cook till blended. Keep aside.

To assemble:

Heat a non stick tava. Spread a ladle full of the batter like a pancake. Drizzle a little ghee on the sides. When cooked, add a spoonful of the filling. Roll. Arrange the patishaptas on a serving dish. They can be served plain or spread a little kheer/rabri on top. Best eaten warm.

Bhekti Fish Fry

4 fillets of bhekti/barramundi (2” wide, 4” long and ½ “ thick)

For the marinade:

½ bunch fresh coriander, cleaned, washed and finely chopped.

3 green chillies paste

1 tsp ginger & garlic paste

¼ tsp black pepped powder

salt to tast

a pinch of ajinomoto

juice of 2 lime

bread crumbs – 1 cup

egg – 1 (beaten with 1 tbspn flour)

Oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients of the marinade together and apply it on to the fish. Keep for ½ an hour. Spread the breadcrumbs on a sheet of butter paper or plate. Dip the fillets one by one in the egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the fillets to a golden brown. Serve hot with slices of cucumber and tomato.