New Year & Old Memories

Today is Poila Boishakh, the first day of the first month (Boishakh) of the Bengali calendar. The Bengali calendar is based on harvest cycles with the first of Boishakh marking the end of the spring harvest season. For all practical purposes, Bengalis follow the Gregorian calendar, ringing in the new year on December 31st with as much gusto as the rest of the world. However, for Bengali businessmen, Poila Boishakh has a particular significance as the day marks the start of a new trading year for them. Back in the day, businesses would open their account books for the new year on this day and show their appreciation for loyal customers by inviting them to stores or sending token gifts home. In today's digital age, I don't know how businesses conduct the ceremonial task of opening new ledgers and drawing the holy Hindu swastika on the first page. I do hope that they still invite customers because accompanying my Didu (grandma) on these special store visits is the most enduring Poila Boishakh memory of my childhood.

My grandmother, had two distinct personas. During the better part of the day, she could be found tending to the plants in her terrace garden or scrubbing some inconspicuous corner of the house in a simple white saree draped loosely around her. She would often not bother with a blouse during these morning chores. How she managed not to flash everyone within sight, is a mystery to me. However, come evening, she would transform herself, much like Cinderella, into an urban socialite. She would don a crisp, freshly laundered saree, put on bindi, kajal (kohl), and sometimes excessive amounts of talcum powder. It would be in this avatar that she would visit her favorite stores on Poila Boishakh. A couple of the grandkids, dressed in matching new outfits, would accompany her in these social forays. I remember she used to visit these two jewelry stores, both family-owned operations. My grandparents, having married off four children and contributed to many weddings within the extended family, were repeat customers at these stores. So, they received the Nordstrom Platinum treatment when they visited. During Poila Boishak, my grandma would exchange social niceties with the shopowners whom she had known for decades. She would peruse the newest design of a necklace or bangle. I never got the impression that there was any expectation of a business transaction on this day. Instead, it was the store's turn to show their appreciation through complimentary gifts like packets of sweets and a calendar for the new year adorned by pictures of gods and goddesses. If business had been particularly good the previous year, they would also serve complimentary bottles of soda pop. And this, for us, was the ultimate treat that made the trek to the stores and listening patiently to grown-up talk all worth it. Soda was a rare, forbidden treat and getting a whole, chilled bottle to oneself was an event worth cherishing. At the end of the evening, we would return home triumphantly with our loot of sweets and calendars and these would be distributed within the extended family.

Looking back, I think the custom of visiting stores during Poila Boishakh was beginning to wane even when I was a kid. I don't remember my parents, uncles, or aunts ever visiting stores on this day. My grandma, who definitely had a mind of her own and did not particularly care about popular opinion, continued the practice till she was able to move about independently. And in so doing, created these lifelong memories for us.

So, today, in honor of my Didu, I made one of her signature dishes, Chapri Ghonto (Vegetable Stir Fry With Lentil Cakes). I did not have the opportunity to learn cooking from her first hand, so this recipe is recreated from memory. I also have taken many liberties with the recipe, substituting or omitting some of the vegetables (like ridge gourd and eggplant) that are typically used in this stir fry. I think my pragmatic grandma would approve of the fact that I used what I had at home.

What You Need:
Lentil Cake:
1 cup yellow split peas (soaked overnight)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil

Vegetable Stir Fry: I just used what I had available.
1 red-skinned potato (peeled and cut into cubes)
1 yellow zucchini squash (trimmed and cut into cubes)
1 dozen string beans (trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths)
1 cup butternut squash or kabocha cubes
2 tbsp oil (mustard oil is traditionally used, but can substitute with vegetable oil)
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp mustard paste (from 1 tbsp mustard seeds soaked in water and ground to a paste with 1/2 tsp salt)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
Water as needed

Directions:
Lentil Cake:
Rinse the soaked yellow split peas and drain all the soaking liquid. In a food processor, grind the peas with a tsp of salt  to a gritty paste. Add a splash of water to get the food processor started, taking care not to add too much liquid to the paste. Dump the paste into a large bowl and and beat with a whisk or wooden spoon for a minute. Cover the bowl and set aside for half an hour.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a small (6 inch) omelette pan. Give the ground lentil a good stir and pour into the pan to create a thick layer.
Turn heat down to medium-low and let the cake cook over low heat. Do not stir or disturb the ground lentil in any way.
After about 10 minutes, give the pan a gentle nudge. If the bottom of the lentil cake is set, the cake will slide easily around the pan.
Once the bottom is set, swirl 1 tbsp oil around the top of the lentil cake that is still uncooked. Use an offset spatula or two flat wooden spoons to carefully flip the cake over. Cook over low heat for an additional 10 minutes.
Check for readiness by nudging the pan gently to see if the lentil cake slides around easily in the pan. Allow lentil cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping into a plate.
Once the lentil cake has cooled completely, cut into 1 inch cubes.

Stir Fry:
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet with a fitted lid. Temper with nigella seeds. Add potatoes and green beans. Stir fry over low heat.
Combine ginger paste, turmeric, cumin, coriander powder with 1 tbsp water.
After about 5 minutes, add salt and ginger paste to the potatoes and beans. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently.
After the raw smell of ginger has subsided, add butternut squash cubes and stir all the vegetables together. Add splashes of water to prevent vegetables from sticking to the bottom of pan.
After about 5 minutes, add the zucchini squash, mustard paste, and sugar. Stir to mix all vegetables together. Keep adding splashes of water.
When all the vegetables are fork tender, add the lentil cake cubes and gently fold them into the stir fry without breaking the cakes. Remove the skillet from heat and cover with a lid.
The lentil cakes will absorb any extra liquid from the stir fry. The resulting dish should be dry with fork tender vegetables and fluffy lentil cakes.
Serve with steaming white rice.