5 snack recipes from Bengal to satiate your evening cravings
What's the story
There is something special about Bengali food that is sure to melt a person's heart. Carrying a rich history, Bengali cuisine has some British and Mughal influences as well.
Apart from featuring iconic Bengali dishes like shukto, aloo posto, luchi, and aloor dom, there are various snacks that can easily make foodies drool.
Here are five must-try Bengali snacks.
Healthy snack
Jhalmuri
Mix chopped cucumber, coriander, tomato, onion, and green chili in a bowl.
Add boiled chana, puffed rice, and roasted peanuts, cover the bowl, and toss the ingredients well.
Add cumin powder, chili powder, salt, mustard oil, chaat masala, and chili powder, cover the bowl and toss again. Garnish with lemon juice, add to a rolled newspaper cone, and serve immediately.
Spicy and light
Ghugni
Wash and soak dried yellow peas overnight, drain, and rinse. Pressure cook the peas with salt for three-four whistles.
Saute cumin seeds and whole red chilies in mustard oil. Add chopped tomatoes and onions, red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, garam masala, salt, and pepper, and cook.
Add the peas and cook for five-seven minutes. Garnish with green chilies, lemon, and coriander leaves.
Crispy evening snacks
Nimki
Combine together plain flour, ghee, salt, nigella seeds, and cumin seeds and knead them into a semi-stiff dough.
Roll the dough and cut it into equal portions.
Place a portion on a rolling board, press it lightly, and fold it into half. Fold again to form a triangle while pressing both corners. Deep-fry the nimkis in hot oil and serve crispy.
Easy and quick recipe
Aloor shingara (samosa)
Mix flour with cooking oil and salt.
Add cold water to make a smooth and tight dough.
Roast panch phoron, coriander seeds, and red chilies and grind them.
Pound ginger and green chili. Saute green chili-ginger mix, peanuts, panch phoron mix, turmeric, salt, and half-boiled potatoes.
Make cones from the dough, add the filling, seal it, and deep-fry the shingaras in oil.
Kolkata street food
Vegetable chop
Roast fennel seeds, cardamom, cumin seeds, dry red chili, kalonji, black peppercorns, cardamom, and cinnamon, and grind them.
Pressure cook chopped carrot, beetroot, and potato and grate them.
Saute grated ginger and the vegetables in oil. Add powdered spices, salt, sugar, and crushed peanuts and cook.
Make small balls, and dip them into a cornflour slurry. Roll in bread crumbs and deep-fry the chops.