Parshey bhaja is a classic dish, applied to many other fish as well, in which small mullet are marinated in turmeric and salt and fried.
Pointed gourd, often called the green potato. It is related to cucumbers and looks like a swollen courgette (US: zucchini). Like other relatives, such as the ridged gourd, it is used to bulk up soups, stews and curries, or sweetened, or eaten fried and as dorma with roe stuffing.
Gram flour. The fine, pale yellow chickpea (US: garbanzo bean) flour made from channa dhal (the ones which resemble yellow split lentils). It is used to make pakoras and for binding dishes such as kebabs as well as making excellent batter.
Lemon or lime. These seem to be interchangeable. Since the lime grows much more readily than the lemon in India this is more likely to be a lime.
Molokhia leaves. Nalta jute. Jew's mallow. The leaves may be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves have a mucilaginous (thickening) quality that helps thicken soups. In the West the seeds and younger leaves are added to salads while older leaves may be used to make tea. It is mainly used as a herb.
Paturi is a dish which is is not made frequently. Paturi means cooked in banana leaves, which is quite common in cuisines in Southeast Asia - from Thailand to Vietnam. In Bengal, small fish such as morola, puti, and also vegetables will be marinated in a mustard, chilli, turmeric, salt paste, and then placed on a banana leaf which will be folded over into a packet. Then this is pan-fried with a small amount of mustard oil on low heat, till the banana leaf chars on both sides. The banana leaf char gives it a very nice smoky flavor, and the moisture from the fish/vegetables and the mustard paste steam-cook the ingredients. In the case of vegetables, they have to be cut into thin slices, almost like a julienne. Commonly used vegetables will be carrots, potatoes, beans, gourds (jhinga), aubergine (US: eggplant) etc.
