Dhone Pata Bata / Bengali Coriander Leaves Paste

 Seldom has the winter come without tickling the taste buds.  With fresh coriander leaves, green peas, plump red tomatoes, cauliflowers and a whole bunch of holidays, it’s a season meant for feasts. And the star of all these is undoubtedly the coriander leaves. And since we have had so much of sprinkling them to the curries....making the paste of it couldn’t have limped further back.

With pungent garlic flavour the coriander leaves paste is just fit for the simple plain rice. The feeling is so apt with those winter noon, that I have barely felt the need to make this paste in the summer. As if that paste can only be touched with the bare fingers when they are wrinkled from the coldness of the weather, or otherwise they will lose their charm.

Dhone Pata Bata / Bengali Coriander Leaves Paste

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves

3 fat cloves of garlic – paste

2-3 green chillies

2 tbsp mustard oil

Salt

Method:

Make a coarse paste of the coriander leaves with the green chillies. Use as little water as possible.

Heat the mustard oil in a kadai and add the coriander leaves paste, garlic paste and salt to it.

Keep stirring and scraping the mixture from the sides and the bottom of the kadai.

Stir and cook until you the paste takes the form of a lump and does not stick to the kadai anymore. The paste should become a little darker in colour and ooze out oil from it.

Switch off the flame and take out all of the paste from the kadai.

Serve with steamed hot rice as a starter.