India's food culture is as rich and extensive as its history. The aroma, texture, versatility and more - every aspect of Indian cuisine is fascinating to the core. This is why Indian cuisine always stands out in the global platform of gastronomy. In fact, every region has equal contribution to this popularity - Bengal, for instance. Think Bengali cuisine and the first thing comes to our mind is versatility. The modern Bengali food culture is a confluence of several regional and global food cultures. In their everyday meal, you can find strong influence of Bihari, Bangladeshi (then East Bengal), Chinese, Mughlai and several other cuisines. That's not all. The food habit here also changes as per season. While winter calls for kosha mangsho and rum balls, summer is about light, tangy, liquid-y food made with seasonal produce.
We bring you few such summer special Bengali recipes that have won our heart with the soothing flavours and cool effects. Read on.
6 Bengali Summer Special Recipes That Never Fail To Impress:
1. Ghol:
We love chugging glasses of chaas and lassis during the summers. Don't we? Hence, we found Bengali-style chaas recipe that includes a balance of sweet, salty and tangy flavours. In Bengal, it is called ghol. Take a look at the recipe.
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2. Gondhoraj Julep:
In Bengal, summer brings along a super aromatic variant of lemon - called gondhoraj lebu. If smells much like kafeir lime and adds a unique aroma to every dish you add in. From dal to chicken and fish curry - Bengalis like squeezing this lemon on every dish possible. Besides, you can make delicious drinks with it. Here's one such comforting drink called gondhoraj julep. Much like nimbu pani, it includes the lemon, mint, sugar et al. Click here for the recipe.
3. Tok Dal:
The next special thing that summer brings along is mango. While we devour those juicy ripe mangoes as is, the raw ones are used to make chutney and achar. Besides, Bengalis also add it to their simple dal preparation to make your meal yet more seasonal. Find the recipe here.
4. Tetor Dal:
We often experience a loss of appetite during the summers. And that is when tetor dal comes in. Dal, made with fried bitter gourd (karela), instantly cleanses your palate with the bitter-salty taste and comforts the stomach. Click here for the recipe.
5. Shukto:
Another karela-based preparation, shukto is a mishmash of karela, aloo, raw mango, drumsticks and more. It also helps cleanse the palette and makes an integral part of daily summer meals. We bring the recipe here.
6. Lauki Dalna:
Love it or not, lauki holds a constant position in our kitchen during the summers. It is light, nutritious and loads us up with several health benefits. Hence, we found a Bengali-style lauki ki sabzi that screams comfort. Find the recipe here.
Try these Bengali classics and let us know which one you liked the most.
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.