In village kitchens across Bengal, pumpkin flower bhorta is a dish with a flavour all its own. It is made from very ordinary ingredients, yet its aroma and taste carry the familiar warmth of home cooking. When fresh pumpkin flowers turn up in the market, many people wonder what to make with them. With a little care and the right method, they make a tasty, nutritious bhorta that is superb with rice. Here is the recipe.

Remove the tough stalks and the pollen inside the pumpkin flowers, wash them well and drain. Then boil the flowers in a pan with a little water and salt for 5 to 7 minutes. When they soften, drain off the water and set them aside.

Put the boiled flowers in a bowl and mix them well with chopped onion, green chillies, chopped coriander leaves, salt and mustard oil. In another small pan, heat mustard oil and lightly fry black cumin (kalonji) or panch phoron. Pour this tempering over the bhorta and mix it in well. Your pumpkin flower bhorta is ready; serve it with hot rice.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.