Mochar Paturi

Bong Eats describes mochar paturi as an East Bengal banana-blossom preparation with mustard, coconut and green chilli. This selection follows the publisher’s pan-roasted version, with whole florets and eggplant.

Brown and yellow mustard seeds are soaked, strained and ground with green chillies, salt and separate grinding water. Roughly chopped coconut is blended into the same paste.

The blossom florets are cleaned and cooked briefly in water with salt and turmeric, then strained and cooled slightly. They are mixed with the mustard-and-coconut paste, sugar and a portion of mustard oil.

Eggplant pieces fry brown in a separate portion of the same listed oil and are set aside. Dried red chillies, green chillies and nigella temper the frying oil before the marinated blossom is spread thinly across the pan and roasted on low heat with occasional stirring.

The same fried eggplant returns once the raw mustard smell has faded, with a little deglazing water if the spices stick. Slit green chillies and raw mustard oil finish the preparation, which the source offers with steaming rice.