Happy Durgaashtami to all esteemed readers

Dt. Tania Biswas

Msc, NET QUALIFIED IN COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SOCIAL MEDICINE · Dietitian/Nutritionist 

Try these 5 super-healthy Bengali delicacies this Durga Puja 

Happy Durga Puja Folks!

This Puja, celebrate the triumph of good over evil by enjoying these 5 delectable authentic Bengali dishes that are packed with health benefits. You can easily prepare these at home or even enjoy them over a family meal at a Bengali-cuisine restaurant.

1. Nolen Gurer Sandesh: This sumptuous Bengali sweet is prepared with paneer or cottage cheese from fresh milk and grated date palm jaggery or nolen gur and a bit khoa. Sandesh is a healthy take on desserts comprising of high-protein ingredient paneer and date palm jaggery that has a body-warming effect during winter. The latter also cleans your respiratory tracts and digestive system. You can easily make this little delight at home this Puja. Decorate by adding pistachios, almonds and saffron strands for flavour. You can even add few pieces of dry fig or anjeer for enhancing taste.

2. Ilish macher jhol: Relish your festivities with this spicy Hilsa or Ilish fish curry prepared with mustard oil. Spices like Nigella seeds, chillies and ginger paste make the dish aromatic. This exquisitely prepared dish has a crunchy layer outside and soft juicy fish inside making it a perfect bite. Hilsa is rich in omega 3 fatty acid that helps in developing a healthy brain and nervous system as well as healthy heart and gut. This variety of fish needs very little oil to cook so you can have it guilt-free smoked, steamed or even baked teamed with a bed of fragrant rice.

3. Shukto: Shukto is authentic to Bengali cuisine generally served as first course. It is a healthy and wholesome concoction of vegetables like raw papaya, raw bananas, brinjal, cluster beans,aubergine, bitter gourd, sweet potatoes, crunchy drumsticks and bitter melon. You can even cook this dish with freshly ground spices and ginger paste and cow milk/rice milk for the gravy. Shukto is a stew that needs very little spices because of the heady mix of flavour and it is very intestine friendly.It supports in proper secretion of digestive juices.You can add to it by squeezing 2 slices of gondhoraj lebu or the aroma king lemon to savour your taste buds.

4. Mishti Doi: This delectable sweet yogurt is a light Bengali dessert available in various seasonal fruity flavours. Mishti Doi has a thick and dense texture with natural sweetening agents like jaggery or fruits making it a healthy choice. You can even add dry fruits to give the yogurt a crunchy zest. Yogurt is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fibers, helps you feel full for long and prevents osteoporosis,irritable bowel syndrome, digestive problems and liver diseases.

5. Oats Khichuri: Another indispensable item from a Bengali thali, Khichuri is traditionally prepared from rice, pulses, spices and vegetables. Giving it a healthy twist you can savour this delight guilt-free by replacing rice by oats. Oatmeal khichuri is a wholesome dish with protein from the dal and oats along with various colourful vegetables available in winter which makes it a nutritious choice for Puja brunches and bhogs rejoiced by children and adults alike. You can add fragrance to this dish from spices like cinnamon and cloves.