Who doesn’t know that we Bengalis are CRAAAZY for our rice? Parents, since time immemorial, prayed to the God to provide their children with milk and rice (quite genius of a prayer actually, since this was considered utmost luxury at that time). Ideal wives were expected to serve their husbands dhoyan otha groom bhat (fresh hot rice), ghee (clarified butter), nalta shaker chochhori (a medley of vegetables and leafs) and mourola macher tok (spicy tangy mola carplet). Our puja isn’t complete till we serve the Deity a fragrant rice pudding made with shortgrain rice, clarified butter, cardamom and honey. Mothers are always urging their child ‘Ar duto bhat ne baba. Roga hoye jachhis je’ (Have some more rice. You are becoming thinner). Well, in a bengali mother’s eyes her child is never ever properly fed if not fed with rice. You can have all the sandwiches, soups, chowmeins, pastas, cakes...virtually all types of food available in the planet to fill your tummy, but your bong mom will say ‘Pet ta ekkebare pore royeche je, duto bhat kha to shanto hoye bose’ (Your tummy isn’t full. You must be feeling hungry. Sit quietly and have some rice.)
My earliest memory of
food is this fyanabhat or fensabhat. My mother used to boil gobindobhog chal
(an immensely flavoured shortgrain rice thus named since it’s fragrance is so
sweet and it’s taste is so good that it is the favourite of Lord
Gobinda/Krishna) while letting the rice absorb all the water and keep a juicy,
rasa consistency and serve it with salt, lots of butter, and lightly fried potatoes
or an omelette. Although I was an extremely fussy child in terms of eating
habits, I used to gobble this up in no time. In winter times my mother used to
add finely diced potatoes, carrots and peas into the rice… ohhh the smell, I
can still remember that divine smell. Nowadays I make the same for my little
pirate and serve it with fried fish. Result??? Well, you can say the legacy is
passed down well.
No wonder Lord Krishna went gaga over
Gobindobhog or Gopalbhog rice. These rices are grown in small quantities in
various pockets of West Bengal, India. The grains are extremely small, pearl
like and aromatic, definitely so. Good quality Gobindobhog rice is so aromatic
that it can make the whole house fragrant and when it is cooking… ohhh it can
definitely pull a crowd, literally.
Growing up, I
discovered Risotto… a silky, glossy, creamy concoction made with Arborio rice.
The classic Italian dish is so similar in looks and style with my Bengali Fensabhat
that I fell in love immediately. No doubt the dish is incredibly richer since
it is cooked in a broth of meat, fish or vegetables and laced with lots and
lots of cheese and wine. A few tweaks here and there and I got my own comfort
food, easy to rustle up, soothing and divine in taste.
Gobindobhog Chaler Fyanabhat in Risotto Style Made
with Pumpkin, Beans, Mushroom and Chicken
Ingredients (I do not care much for exact measurements but this is probably more than enough for two persons)
Gobindobhog Rice – 100gms.
Pumpkin, finely diced – 300gms.
Beans, diced – 6 short ones
Mushroom, diced – 200gms.
Boneless Chicken, diced – 200gms.
Onion, finely chopped – 50gms. Or take a half of a
big one
Garlic, finely chopped – 6 medium cloves (I love
garlic too much, if you don’t then take less)
Butter – 100gms. (Actually don’t measure. Go indulge
yourself, but if you want to watch your weight then just substitute with
sunflower oil or olive oil and just before serving add a little butter on top)
Sage – a sprinkle
Salt – as required
Cream – half a cup (for weight watchers, add milk
but at least use whole milk for taste’s sake)
Scallions/ Green Shallots/ Spring Onions, finely
chopped or cut by a scissor – as needed for garnishing
Cheese (I used Gouda, other hard cheeses can also be
used), peeled – as needed for garnishing
Procedure
Grill the chicken using olive oil, salt and pepper only. If you do not have a grill then heat up your fry pan and marinate the chicken in oil, salt and pepper for 10 min. When the pan is superhot and smoke is rising, put the chicken in. Don’t put any oil in the pan, just the marinated chicken. Flip after a minute. After a minute cover the chicken. When the juices start to come out, just take the lid off. Cut a piece open to check if the inside is pink. If it is then take off the heat, rest for a few minutes and dice into smaller pieces.
Heat the butter in a pan. While heating, add a little oil so it won’t burn.
Do all the chopping and dicing. I never do it beforehand, rather go on doing it while cooking but it is definitely less stressful if you get your ingredients sorted beforehand.
When the butter is superhot, add the pumpkins and increase the heat. Fry till it’s caramelised (the edges will become brown). Add beans, mushroom and chicken pieces. Fry up a little till everything is caramelised well and add onion, garlic, salt, pepper and sage. Take the heat down and put the lid on.
After 5 to 7 minutes, add the rice and fry a little. Start adding water till everything is just immersed. Put the lid on and wait for 10 minutes to let the rice absorb all the water. If you want to follow the classic Italian route then substitute water with a good quality white wine. For me, the expensive wine tastes better in a glass… always.
Nudge the rice a little. If it needs more liquid then add water to it. Don’t disturb the rice too much or the rice will break down and the consistency will be lost. After 15 minutes the rice should have a creamy, moist consistency which is smooth but not runny. Add cream to it and take off of the heat.
Serve in a plate with help of a mould or bowl. Garnish with peeled cheese and finely chopped spring onions.