Panta bhat

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Panta Ilish - a tradtional platter of Panta bhat with fried Hilsa slice, supplemented with dried fish (Shutki), pickles (Achar), dal, green chillies and onion - is a popular serving for the Pohela Boishakh festival.
Panta Ilish - a tradtional platter of Panta bhat with fried Hilsa slice, supplemented with dried fish (Shutki), pickles (Achar), dal, green chillies and onion - is a popular serving for the Pohela Boishakh festival.

Panta bhat (Bengali: পান্তা ভাত; Pàntà bhàt) is a lightly fermented rice-based dish consumed in Bangladesh and West Bengal. Panta means "soaked in water" and bhat means "boiled rice". This dish of leftover rice soaked in water to prevent spoiling, is generally served with salt, onion and chili.

It is especially popular in rural areas[1][2] served as a breakfast.[3] A similar dish consumed in the Indian state of Orissa, Assam and Chattisgarh is known as Pakhal, Pokhalo or Pakhal Bhat.

Among Hindu Bengalis, it is cosumed during the Ranna-Puja (Bengali cooking festival). In Bangladesh, it is a part of the Pohela Boishakh (Bengali new year festival) festivities as it is consumed as breakfast by urban people.[4][5] Panta is also served at high-end eateries, like The Stadel, in Bangladesh and West Bengal.[6]

[edit] Composition

According to a study (Henry et al.), panta bhat is often contaminated, with almost 90% of the of samples containing fecal coliforms and a median count of 3.9 log cfu/ml. The contamination was more in the rainy season. Numbers of faecal coliforms increased 10-fold when there was delay of more than 4 hours between preparation and consumption, while 90% of the samples were eaten more than 12 hours after preparation.[7] According to another study (ILSI 1998), fermentation improves the bioavailability of minerals such as iron and zinc as a result of phytic acid hydrolysis, and as increasing the content of riboflavin and vitamin B.[8] Panta bhat contains weak strength alcohol as a result of fermentation.[9]

[edit] Recipe

There are many variations of the dish but a common one is made by soaking cooked rice in water overnight. Care must be taken to cover the dish during the long soaking to avoid contamination.[10] In the morning, the soaked rice is usually eaten with salt, lime and chili.[11] Other curries or fish preparations may also be consumed along with panta bhat. Curd is also often consumed with the dish. Pokhalo often differs from panta bhat in that seasonings and yoghurt are sometimes added prior to the fermentation process.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Culinary Art. The Bangladesh Rice Foundation (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
  2. ^ "The Tiger of Bengal", Dawn Magazine, 2003-11-09. Retrieved on 2007-12-11. 
  3. ^ Enamul Haq, Food habits, Banglapedia
  4. ^ Sambaru Chandra Mohanta, Pahela Baishakh, Banglapedia
  5. ^ Tanvir Hafiz, Out with the Old, Daily Star (Bangladesh)
  6. ^ Bong Connection, The Telegraph (Kolkata)
  7. ^ Brian J. B. Wood , Microbiology of Fermented Foods, page 796, Springer, 1997, ISBN 0751402168
  8. ^ Marie T. Ruel, Can Food-Based Strategies Help Reduce Vitamin A and Iron Deficiencies?, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C., December 2001
  9. ^ Dr. Syed Nasrullah, Liberalising alcohol policy, Daily Star (Bangladesh), 2003-08-15
  10. ^ Wood, Brian J.B. (1985). Microbiology of Fermented Foods. Springer. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
  11. ^ Akhter Hameed Khan, The Works of Akhter Hameed Khan, page 288, Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development, 1983