Panta Bhat
A refreshing Bengali dish of soft rice fermented overnight in water and served with onion, green chili, lime, and mustard oil.
Ingredients
- cooked medium-grain parboiled rice400 g
- cooled boiled water800 ml
- onion1 pcs
- green chili2 pcs
- lime0.5 pcs
- mustard oil1 tbsp
- salt1 to taste
Instructions
Take 400 g of cooked medium-grain parboiled rice and cool it completely to room temperature (20–25 °C); do not use hot rice.
Transfer the rice to a clean glass or stainless steel bowl and pour in 800 ml of cooled boiled water — the water should rise about 1–2 cm above the rice.
Cover the bowl with a lid or a clean cloth and leave it in a cool, dark place for 8–12 hours to ferment slightly.
The next day, gently break up any clumps of rice in the fermented liquid; do not drain the water, as it's part of the panta bhat.
Add salt to taste, along with thinly sliced onion and chopped green chili, and mix well.
Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the dish and drizzle with 1 tbsp of mustard oil.
Serve the panta bhat cold or at room temperature, along with all of the fermented liquid.
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