Bengali Entree dish | Kucho chingri bata - Hot tiny prawn garlic bharta

Bengali Entree dish | Kucho chingri bata - Hot tiny prawn garlic bharta

When other cooking is time-consuming and all the ingredients are not at hand, these mash vegetables bharta or makha are the easiest way to make any authentic Bengali meal. It is possible to easily make the taste of Bengali food at home wherever you are in the country or abroad.

Barnali Dutta | November 16th 2013, 6:27 PM

কুচো চিংড়ি বাটা দিয়ে ভাত, ডাল ও ভাজা মাছ—একটি ঐতিহ্যবাহী বাঙালি খাবারের থালা

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The Bengali word for grinding is bharta. Although it is commonly referred to as Makha in "Epar Bangla" (West Bengal), in "Opar Bangla" (Bangladesh) it is known as Bharta. All varieties of Bengali bharta, including potato, eggplant, and other vegetable-based bhartas are made by hand like mashed boiled potato, mashed boiled or charred eggplant, mashed boiled green banana etc. The only difference in the cooking process is a slight variation in the main vegetable or fish.

Bharta used to be the staple diet of the poor. If nothing was available, whatever was on hand was used to make a small amount of bharta. Bharta is now being recognized as a tradition. Bharta isn't just consumed with rice. In Bangladesh's winter months, bharta congregate in pitha shops, particularly with Chitai pitha.

Ingredients

• Baby shrimp 250 gm with shells (washed and cleaned with salty warm water)
• Garlic 8 to 10 cloves
• Dried red chillies 3 to 4 or as required
• Salt and sugar as required
• Green chillies
• Mustard oil 2 tablespoon

Kucho Chingri Bata - Bengali prawn bhorta recipe with garlic, chilli and mustard oil

Directions

• Stir fry all the ingredients and make a paste in a simple traditional and rustic way. For the authentic taste it is recommended to use a mortar and pestle.

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 15 min | Total time: 30 min

Serving size: 4 persons (50 g each) | Calories per serving: 200

Bharta is of various types. Potato, eggplant, shutki or dried fish, and egg bhartas are just a few of the bhartas that Bengalis typically eat daily. On occasions, the ingredients used to make Bharta are numerous.

Read "Nigella Seeds: The Secret Ingredient to Adding Bold Flavors in Your Bengali Dishes" here.

Bhartas can be prepared with or without onions. In Bengali authentic recipes no onion is added for the following bhartas:

Ladies Finger / Carrot / Bitter Gourd / Green Banana / Raw Papaya / Sweet Pumpkin / Aram / Spinach Leaf / Gourd Leaves / Sweet Potatoes / Centella Leaves / Coriander Leaves — with mustard oil, salt and green chilli.

Onion variations are available for:

Potato / Brinjal / Jackfruit Seeds / Raw Tomato / Vegetable Peels / Peanuts / Deboned Fried Fish and Boiled Egg Bharta etc.

Many bhartas can be prepared with garlic in this same way:

• Raw Mango Bharta — Raw Mango Cuts, Garlic, Chilli, Mustard Oil, Kasundi
• Charred Garlic Bharta — Stuffed Garlic, Fried Red Chilli, Mustard Oil

FAQ about Kucho Chingri Bata

What is chingri bhorta?

Chingri bhorta is a mashed prawn preparation made with shrimp or prawn, chilli, garlic, mustard oil, and salt. In Bengali food culture, it is a simple, bold, and comforting dish usually eaten with rice.

চিংড়ি ভর্তা হল চিংড়ি, লঙ্কা, রসুন, সর্ষের তেল ও নুন দিয়ে তৈরি একধরনের মাখা বা বাটা পদ। বাঙালি রান্নায় এটি ভাতের সঙ্গে খাওয়া সহজ, ঝাঁঝালো ও খুবই প্রিয় একটি খাবার।

What is Bengali bhorta?

Bengali bhorta is a hand-mashed preparation made from vegetables, fish, dried fish, egg, or other ingredients, usually mixed with mustard oil, chilli, and salt. In West Bengal it is often called makha, while in Bangladesh it is widely known as bhorta.

বাঙালি ভর্তা হল হাত দিয়ে মাখা বা বাটা একটি পদ, যা সবজি, মাছ, শুকনো মাছ, ডিম বা অন্য উপকরণ দিয়ে তৈরি হয়। সাধারণত এতে সর্ষের তেল, লঙ্কা ও নুন মেশানো হয়। পশ্চিমবঙ্গে একে অনেক সময় ‘মাখা’ বলা হয়, আর বাংলাদেশে এটি ‘ভর্তা’ নামে বেশি পরিচিত।

What is chingri shutki in English?

Chingri shutki in English is dried shrimp or dried prawn. It refers to shrimp that have been cleaned and dried for storage and cooking.

‘চিংড়ি শুঁটকি’-র ইংরেজি হল dried shrimp বা dried prawn। অর্থাৎ চিংড়ি পরিষ্কার করে শুকিয়ে সংরক্ষণ করা হয়, পরে রান্নায় ব্যবহার করা হয়।

Are chingri and prawn the same?

In everyday food writing, chingri usually refers to shrimp or prawn, and the terms are often used interchangeably. On recipes and menus, prawn is a suitable English translation for chingri.

প্রচলিত খাবারের ভাষায় ‘চিংড়ি’ বলতে shrimp বা prawn—দুই ভাবেই বোঝানো হয়, এবং অনেক সময় শব্দ দুটি একই অর্থে ব্যবহার করা হয়। রেসিপি বা মেনুতে prawn শব্দটি চিংড়ির উপযুক্ত ইংরেজি রূপ।

Related Bengali recipes:

• More Bata Bharta recipes
• Explore Fish Recipes
• Traditional Bengali Recipes