Fermented overnight rice soaked in water — panta bhat — is the morning meal of the Bengali countryside and the taste that every diaspora Bengali will tell you they miss most. It is eaten cold, with raw onion, green chilli, mustard oil, and dried or fried fish.
In Bangladesh it is the centrepiece of Pahela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year. No dish in this arc is more misunderstood by outsiders, and none is more loved at home.
Zone: River Delta
SOURCE: Bangladeshi food forum, Dhaka, 2020. Translated from Bengali.
LOCAL NAME: পান্তা ভাত
INGREDIENTS
- 400 grams cooked white rice (leftover from the previous day)
- 800 milliliters cold water
- 1 tablespoons mustard oil (to serve)
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced raw)
- 4 green chillies (whole)
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 4 pieces dried or fried fish (to serve (hilsa, shutki, or smoked mackerel))
METHOD
- The night before: place the cooked rice in a deep bowl and cover completely with the cold water. The rice should be submerged by at least 2cm. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature overnight for 8–12 hours. Do not refrigerate — the gentle fermentation is the point.
- In the morning the water will have turned slightly cloudy and the rice will have softened further and developed a faint sour smell. This is correct. Stir in the salt.
- Serve in deep bowls with some of the soaking water. Drizzle raw mustard oil over the top. Lay the sliced raw onion, whole green chillies, and dried or fried fish alongside. Eat immediately at room temperature — do not heat.
NOTES
UK: Any long-grain or medium-grain rice works. Dried fish (shutki) from Bangladeshi grocers in Whitechapel or online. Fried hilsa or mackerel as substitute. Raw mustard oil drizzle is essential — do not substitute. Eaten at room temperature; do not reheat.
US: Long-grain rice from any supermarket. Dried fish from Bangladeshi or South Asian grocers in NYC or New Jersey. Smoked mackerel fillet is an acceptable and widely available substitute for dried fish. Mustard oil from Patel Brothers.