This panta bhat recipe uses leftover cooked rice soaked overnight in water until lightly fermented. It is seasoned simply with salt and mustard oil and served with aloo bhorta made from boiled potatoes, onions, green chillies, and coriander. The dish is eaten cold or at room temperature and includes the fermented rice water for full flavor and nutrition.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: 480 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: Bengali, Indian

Ingredients

  • ¾ to 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 cup water (– water level can be about ½ to 1 inch above)
  • 2 medium to large potatoes (– boiled & peeled)
  • ⅓ cup onions (– finely chopped)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon green chili (– chopped, add as needed)
  • ½ teaspoon ginger (– finely chopped, optional)
  • 1 tablespoon mustard oil
  • salt (according to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves (– chopped)
  • salt (according to taste)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons onion (– finely chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon green chili (– chopped)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons coriander leaves (– chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon mustard oil
  • 1 to 2 dry red chili (– fried in mustard oil, optional)

Method

Note

  1. Use clean utensils and fresh drinking water when making panta bhat. The fermented rice should smell clean and mild. Discard if there is mold, discoloration, or an unpleasant odor.

Fermenting Rice

  1. Take the cooked rice in a bowl. The rice should not be hot or warm, but at room temperature.
  2. Add 1 cup water, keeping the water level about ½ to 1 inch above the rice.
  3. Stir well to break any lumps, cover the bowl, and let the rice ferment for 8 to 9 hours or overnight, depending on the room temperature.

Making Aloo Bhorta

  1. For the aloo bhorta, boil potatoes in enough water in a pan or a stovetop pressure cooker, until they are fork tender.
  2. Drain all the water and let the potatoes cool completely. Peel them and mash roughly in a bowl.
  3. Add finely chopped onions, chopped green chillies, mustard oil, and salt to taste to the mashed potatoes. Mix well.
  4. If using, add finely chopped ginger and finish with 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves. Set aside.

Assembling Panta Bhat

  1. Once the rice is lightly fermented, add salt to taste directly to the rice and water. Drizzle 1 teaspoon mustard oil and mix gently.
  2. Top the pantabhat with finely chopped onions, green chillies, and chopped coriander leaves.
  3. If using red chillies, heat a little mustard oil and fry 1 to 2 dry red chillies until crisp. Serve them as a topping or on the side. You can also drizzle the chilli-infused oil over the rice.
  4. Serve panta bhat.

Serving Suggestions

  1. Serve panta bhat at room temperature.
  2. Traditionally, it is eaten in the morning along with simple sides like aloo bhorta, chopped onions, green chillies, or fried dry red chillies. The fermented rice water is usually consumed along with the rice.
  3. A drizzle of mustard oil just before serving enhances the flavor. You can also add a squeeze of gondhoraj lebu or lemon for aroma.

Storage

  1. Panta bhat is best eaten fresh on the day it is fermented. If needed, you can refrigerate it for a few hours after fermentation, but it should be brought back to room temperature before serving.
  2. Do not store panta bhat for more than a day, as over-fermentation can make it too sour. Always discard if it develops a strong smell or unpleasant taste.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.