Jujube (Boroi) Bhorta. A Bangladeshi recipe!

The most basic type of comfort food in Bangladesh is bhorta. Actually, it's just everything tasty combined and mashed and eaten either with rice or by itself.

Jujube trees in Bangladesh flower from July to October, and then bear fruit right after. The young to senior generations all enjoy eating these round or oval-shaped fruits. When in season, foods are typically consumed raw or pickled before being sun-dried to use off-season.

One of my favourite childhood memories involves climbing the Boroi tree or hanging from the roof in the village and simply picking these fresh luscious fruits off the tree. As we had grown up witnessing our elders make the most delicious bhortas, when we were kids, we would get creative and make our own boroi bhortas. We would simply gather the materials and crush them all together on a stone slab and just eat right off the bat. Oh how wonderful those memories are!

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Ingredients:

Jujube (boroi): 10/12

Tamarind: ½ sticks

Green Chillies: 2/3

Bombay(naga) Chilli: 1

Coriander: a good handful

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash & drain all ingredients

2. Using a pastle and mortar smash the Jujube and separate the seeds

3. Peel the hard shell from the tamarind and add to your pestle and mortar.

4. Add the green chilies and Bombay chilli and smash together

5. Smash the coriander in the pestle and mortar too

6. Place all ingredients into a bowl

7. Add a little salt and mix well

Notes:

If the Jujube’s (boroi) are too sour add a little sugar. You can also add mustard oil and dried red chillies for extra flavour. Make sure to smash all ingredients using a pastle mortar or a flat stone grinder for that unique and authentic taste. Jujube's (Boroi) fresh from the tree are much better in taste rather than the shop bought ones.

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For Bangladeshis, bhortas are the most casual type of cuisine to eat every day. Unless you are outside of Bangladesh, these are almost never presented to guests or during parties. In order to ensure that there is enough stomach space to consume as much bhorta and rice as possible, we then throw bhorta-specific events that everyone looks forward to. There are never any leftovers, despite everyone's secret wish that there would be.

I truly hope you enjoy this Jujube bhorta as much as I do! Please do comment on my post or socials with your fondest memories and experiences.

Love & Light to all

Naznin

XxX