Bhaat, Dal, Bhaja, Torkari — The Everyday Bengali Thali

Name: Bhaat, Dal, Bhaja, Torkari — The Everyday Bengali Thali
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Bengali
Ingredients: 300 g gobindobhog or any rice; 150 g masoor dal; 6 g turmeric powder; 300 g Potatoes; 45 ml mustard oil; 3 g nigella seeds (kalonji); 2 piece dried red chilli; 3 piece green chilli

The daily Bengali household meal of soft rice, thin masoor dal, crisp potato bhaja and a light seasonal vegetable torkari.

🇮🇳India· West Bengal

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 60 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 420 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

Equipment

•Rice pot
•Kadai
•Ladle

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 420 kcal
fat: 9 g
carbs: 75 g
fibre: 6 g
protein: 12 g
calories: 420 kcal

Instructions

1
Wash the rice until the water runs clear and boil it in plenty of salted water until just tender. Drain and keep covered.
2
Pressure cook the masoor dal with turmeric, a pinch of salt and about 600 ml water for 2 whistles, then whisk it smooth.
3
Cut the potatoes into thin batons for the bhaja. Toss them with a little turmeric and salt.
4
Heat mustard oil to smoking point, lower the heat, and fry the potato batons in a single layer until crisp and golden. Drain on paper.
5
In the same oil, temper nigella seeds and the dried red chilli. When they crackle, pour in the cooked dal, add slit green chillies and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
6
Taste the dal for salt, finish with a teaspoon of raw mustard oil, and take it off the heat.
7
Serve hot rice with a ladle of dal poured over it, the potato bhaja alongside and the torkari of the day on the side.

Chef's tips

Cook the dal a little thinner than usual since Bengali households prefer it pourable over rice. Frying the potatoes in mustard oil rather than refined oil gives the bhaja its characteristic pungent aroma.

Ingredient substitutions

masoor dal → moong dal
pumpkin → bottle gourd or ridge gourd

Storage

Store dal and torkari separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Reheating

Reheat dal and torkari gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of water to loosen if needed.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Making the dal too thick — it should be pourable, not a thick paste.
•Overcrowding the pan while frying the potato bhaja so it steams instead of crisping.