TRADITIONAL BREAKFAST

One of my favorite meals in Bangladeshi Cuisine is the breakfast. Traditionally, homemade flat breads, stir fried potato and omelette are the three mains of the meal. One morning, I decided to try out the traditional Bangladeshi breakfast. While doing so, I realized how difficult it is to make such a breakfast every morning and wondered how my mom made them for us almost every morning. Sometimes she had to make them for other meals too, especially for me. I am a total freak for flat breads =P . On my second trial, I managed to get the dough right, without getting it too sticky or too dry. 

Here goes the recipe behind it, I hope you like it.

ROTI

First off, I boiled some water in a saucepan with some salt for seasoning the dough. I still don't have a fixed measurement of the water-flour ratio. But I went on my instinct and added flour little at a time until all the water was soaked up by the flour. I put the lid on and let it cook for about 2 minutes. I allowed it to cool for 15-20 minutes so I can knead the dough without burning my hand. After kneading it for about 15 minutes, I made them into small balls and covered them with a cloth while I worked with each of the balls. I kneaded each portion separately until they were smooth and rolled them into circle. The thinner, the better. Also, I made sure to dust them with flour while rolling to prevent sticking. Once all the portions were rolled into circles, I cooked them on a pan. 

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STIR FRIED POTATO Stir fried vegetables is a fairly common dish in Bangladesh and my favorites. I can stir fry almost every vegetable. It is rather easy and quick to make as well. First step is to julienne the potatoes. That day I had new red potatoes in my fridge so I went with that. For baby potatoes and new potatoes, whether red or not, I often tend to leave the peel on to give it an extra crispy texture. But I make sure to remove them if the potatoes are older. It is necessary to use a good amount of oil while stir frying. To make it simple, I add the potatoes, onions, green chili, salt, turmeric and red chili powder altogether and fry them in a frying pan on high heat. (You can avoid using spices but I like adding spices to give it a Bangladeshi kick to it) It is absolutely necessary to keep stirring. Otherwise, the potatoes will lump together and/or burn. Once the potatoes are cooked to my liking, I turn the heat off. Now the excess use of oil can be harmful to health, but I picked a trick from my mom. After taking the pan off the heat, I support the pan with a piece of cloth and tilt it. I take the cooked potatoes to the higher end and let the oil trickle down to the lower end. I leave it like this for about 20 minutes, most of the oil collects in the lower end. I carefully remove the potatoes and place it in a serving bowl. I didn't capture a picture of it but if I do in future, I will definitely post it. You can strain it too but I liked seeing my mom do it, so I do the same too. Ingredients: 3 pcs            red potatoes 1/2 cup        chopped onion 2-3 pcs        green chili 1/2 tsp         salt 1/2 tsp         turmeric powder 1/2 tsp          red chili powder

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OMELETTE Classic Bangladeshi omelette takes about 10 minutes to prepare. In a mixing bowl, I crack the eggs and add salt, chopped onions, and chopped green chili. After mixing it up real well, I fry it in a pan, greased with oil.  Ingredients: 2 pcs          eggs 1/4 tsp       salt 1/4 cup      chopped onions 2 pcs          chopped green chili When these three are put together on a plate, VOILA! we have our delicious and appetizing breakfast, a great start to a day in Bangladesh.