Bhorta

Ingredients

Begun bhorta, aubergine

• 2large aubergines
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 4green chillies
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbspmustard oil
• 1 tbspchopped coriander
• salt

Alu bhorta, potato

• 500 gpotatoes, boiled
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 3dried red chillies
• 3 tbspmustard oil
• salt

Shutki bhorta, dried fish

• 60 gdried fish, shutki
• 1onion
• 6dried red chillies
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbspmustard oil
• salt

To serve

• with plain steamed rice, and a dal

Directions

1. Use your hands or a wooden masher, and take your time over it. Char the aubergines whole over a flame or under a grill until the skin is black and papery and the flesh has collapsed.
2. Let them steam in a covered bowl for ten minutes, then peel off the skin. Drain the flesh briefly, since aubergine holds a lot of water.
3. Boil the potatoes until completely soft and mash them while still hot. Now fry the dried red chillies briefly in a little oil until they darken and smell toasted.
4. Crush them with salt and mix them into the potato with raw onion and mustard oil. Rinse the dried fish thoroughly, then dry roast it in a pan until it darkens and smells strongly.
5. Roast the dried fish before anything else, since it needs to lose its raw harshness. Add plenty of raw mustard oil and salt. It should be salty, hot and pungent enough to season a mouthful of rice on its own.
6. Use more chilli than seems reasonable, since bhorta is meant to be genuinely hot. Use more mustard oil than seems reasonable too, since it should be glossy rather than dry.
7. Serve small mounds of two or three different bhorta on a plate with plain steamed rice and a dal. It keeps a day refrigerated, though the raw onion softens and it is best fresh.

Technique

• Mustard oil is used raw and unheated, which is what gives the pungency.
• It is mashed by hand rather than blended, which keeps the texture.
• It is eaten in small amounts with a great deal of plain rice.

Substitutions

• Any strong oil if mustard oil is unavailable, accepting a milder result.
• Almost any cooked vegetable can be made into a bhorta.

Variations

• Tomato bhorta, made with charred tomatoes.
• Dal bhorta, made from cooked lentils.
• Chingri bhorta, made with dried prawns.

History

Mashes of vegetable, fish or dried fish with mustard oil, chilli and onion; dozens of varieties are eaten with plain rice at every social level.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bhorta?

Bhorta is a salad & side from Bangladesh: mashes of aubergine, potato or dried fish with mustard oil and chilies. Mashes of vegetable, fish or dried fish with mustard oil, chilli and onion; dozens of varieties are eaten with plain rice at every social level.

How long does Bhorta take to make?

Bhorta takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings as a side. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bhorta?

Yes, within limits. Any strong oil if mustard oil is unavailable, accepting a milder result. Almost any cooked vegetable can be made into a bhorta.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bhorta?

Use more chilli than seems reasonable, since bhorta is meant to be genuinely hot. Use more mustard oil than seems reasonable too, since it should be glossy rather than dry.