Bengali cuisine is versatile just like the state. As much of a rice eater the Bengali’s are they don’t shy away from gorging in some delectable porata’s or luchi; the favourite traditional fare. Be it religious functions or Sunday breakfasts the table is specially laid which sees all of these. Mostly made with maida these breads pair great both with vegetarian courses and meat courses.

Here's the list to explore.

Luchi

These deep fried delights that goes with everything right from a aloo chorchori to a kosha mangsho to a cholar dal with narkel or even a fried slice of brinjal is pure indulgence. With a nice crispy crust, a big round white luchi is the hero of any Bengali breakfast meal, though you can have it during lunch or dinner too. Making it that perfect round shape requires dedication and practice to roll it right. It needs to be treated delicately. The trick lies in frying them in very hot oil.

Radhabollobi

Radhabollibi pairs with aloo dum/
Pic- Tapas Mahapatra


Radhaballabi’s can be described as luchi that is bigger in size and is stuffed spiced dal filling with a dash of hing. Made with purpose flour (maida), the Radhabollobi stuffing is either made of urad dal or chana dal. Stories say that this dish can be traced back to the Singha family of Kandi in Murshidabad where this was the stuffed, fried and then was offered to the deity. Whatever the story this breakfast favourite goes best with sukno aloo dum (dry aloo dum)

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Koraishotir Kochuri

Koraishutir means green peas and kochuri is the Deep fried bread which makes Koraishotir Kochuri  a puffy bread, that is stuffed with a dry filling of green peas that has mildly spiced with some Hing (Asafoetida) or Bhaja Masala (dry roasted Cumin, Corriander and Dry Red Chilli). This great option either for breakfast, lunch or dinner goes best with an aloo dum that is made without any onion garlic. Koraishutir Kochuri is

Club Kachori

Club Kachori is bite sized mini puris/ Pic- India Eat Mania

 

Another favourite Bengali breakfast that is mostly found around North Kolkata sees the use of coarsely grounded urad dal paste, chilly-ginger paste with asafoetida, in the dough. These kachoris are almost the size of golgappas but very flavourful. You just cant have one. The kachori is paired with an aloo subzi which sees a little gravy and is tossed with panch phoran the popular spice mix from Bengal) which gives the potato curry a taste that’s extremely delicious.

Dhakai Porota

Bengali parathas are also made with maida and are light unlike the ones we see in North India. Dhakai porota that is now a part of Bangladesh culinary graph was once much a part of undivided Bengal. Still found in the streets of Kolkata and other places, this parathas are fried early in the morning daily. Served either with chholar dal or alur torkari, this one still found in a century-old mishit/ breakfast shop called ‘New Jol Khabar,’ in North Kolkata.