Shaplar Velaa Recipe | Bengali Water Lily Fritters

Shaplar Velaa | Water Lily Raft Fritters

The iron-rich Bangladeshi national flower, Shapla (শাপলা), or white water lily, is widely available in local markets during the monsoon. In flood-prone Bengal, banana trunk rafts, or kolar velaa, were once made to help people cross waterlogged areas. Inspired by that image, Shaplar Velaa is an old Bengali fritter recipe shaped like a miniature raft.

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes | Yield: 20 fritters

Serving size: 4 to 5 fritters

Ingredients

• White water lily stems, about 1 foot long – 5
• All-purpose flour – 1 cup
• Rice flour – 1/2 cup
• Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Chili powder – 1 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Sugar – 1 pinch
• Kalonji – 1 tsp
• Water – 1/4 cup
• Cooking oil – about 2 cups for deep frying

Directions

1. Wash the Shapla stems thoroughly under running water to remove mud. Good stems are usually about 1 foot long.
2. Cut off the flower. From one end of each stem, pinch and pull out the fibers slowly. Remove all fibers and cut the stems into 1-inch pieces.
3. Repeat the same process for all stems and cut them evenly.
4. Using a wooden toothpick, skewer 5 to 6 pieces through the middle to form a tiny raft shape.
5. Mix flour, rice flour, salt, turmeric, chili powder, kalonji, baking soda, and sugar. Add just enough water to make a batter.
6. Dip the stem rafts into the batter and deep fry in hot oil until crisp.
7. Remove the toothpicks and serve the hot water lily raft fritters with chutney.

Any recipe is an assimilation of ingredients and method. In local culinary language, the right pairing of ingredients is known as khata (খাটা), meaning “works well with.” Traditional cooks knew which ingredients naturally belonged together and which combinations did not. These rules shaped whether a dish should become a curry, a fry, or a fritter.

In earlier times, before printed cookbooks were common and literacy was limited, recipes were often remembered through aphorisms, proverbs, and rhythmic sayings. These short expressions preserved culinary knowledge and helped pass food wisdom from one generation to another.

Food Wisdom

Aphorisms are a concise way of sharing knowledge. Food aphorisms in Bengal often include practical guidance on cooking methods, ingredient pairings, and the best season for certain foods. Sayings attributed to Khona and Dak remain an important part of this scientific folk tradition.

These proverbs communicated agricultural and culinary knowledge in a form people could easily remember. They helped common people understand what to grow, when to harvest, and how to prepare food with good judgment and economy.

The earliest collections include the Dak Tantra, popularly known as Daker Bachan, a body of wise sayings circulating in Bengal and Assam from around the 10th century. These sayings reflect the deep relationship between food, farming, observation, and everyday science.

The standard of diet was once tied closely to class. Wealthier homes could afford elaborate spice-rich dishes, while ordinary rural households depended on simple but intelligent cooking. Even so, Dak’s sayings often describe delicious foods made with modest effort.

Margosa leaf in mustard pickle, pour a little oil.

Rohu fish with parwal leaf, a treat will satisfy all.

Catfish cut in small pieces with ginger, salt, and asafetida.

Add turmeric and pickle a bit, Dak says, and I agree to it.

Young fish in lemon juice with mustard pickle awakens the appetite.

Eat and enjoy; it delights both humans and gods.

Shrimp fried in oil with a little lemon juice.

Make a fine curry with asafetida and dry chili.

Take one part rice and three parts water.

Stir at the boil for well-cooked rice.

Cut large prawns into large pieces and fry with asafetida in oil.

Turn them well and enjoy the taste with a smile.

Sowing rice in bright sunshine brings abundance.

Aman rice with mustard sauce is a true delight.

Burnt fish with plenty of salt can itself satisfy the meal.

Ripe tamarind with mature boal fish, cooked long and richly, makes an irresistible dish.

Like Oriya, Assamese is a sister rather than a daughter of Bengali. Its vocabulary and culinary expressions also preserve related strands of eastern Indian folk food wisdom.

ৰন্ধন প্ৰকৰণ

চিত জেৰোৱা চলি কাতি | বতা হেঙ্গেৰা খাগৰা মুঠি ||

স্বাস দীৰ্ঘ কৰি দিবা ফু | তেহে দেখিবা জুইৰ মু ||

সোকোতাৰ পাত বেসুয়াৰৰ ঝোল | তৈলৰ ওপৰে দিয়া তোল ||

পোৰোলা শাক ৰোহিত মাছ | ডাকে বোলে সেই ব্যঞ্জন সাচ ||

মাগুৰ মাছক কচি কুটিয়া | হালধী মৰিচ হিঙ্গক দিয়া ||

তৈল লোণ দি কৰিবা পাক | এই ব্যঞ্জন সাৰ বোলে ডাক ||

কায়ৈ মাছক কচি কুটিয়া | হালধী মৰিচ হিঙ্গক দিয়া ||

ওলোট পালট কৰিবা পিঠি | খাই পাইবা তেবে দৄষ্টি ||

( উলট পালট কৰিয়া পিঠ, খায়া পাবা ভোজন মিষ্ঠ )

চেঙ্গা চেঙ্গলী জামিৰৰ ৰসে | কাহুদি দিয়া জেবে পৰিসে ||

মুখৰ অৰুচি দূৰক যায় | আচোক নৰ দেবো মোহ পাই ||

ইলিহ মাছক কচি কুটিয়া | ত্ৰিকুট দিয়া তৈল ভাজিয়া ||

এই বেঞ্জন যি জনে খাই | আম্ৰৰ সদৄশ মুখ গন্ধাই ||

কচ বচ চিতলৰ আদ খান | নেমু লোণ দি বুঝি পৰিমাণ ||

আকে খাই পাই সন্তোষ প্ৰচুৰ | আন বেঞ্জঁনক ক ৰিব দূৰ ||

চাউল দিবা যতেক | পানী দিবা ততেক ||

পাগ আহিলে দিবা কাঠি | তেবে কৰিবা জুই ভাঠি ||

জেবে নিসিজে চাউল | তেবে বুলিবা ডাকক বাউল ||

পকা তেতেলী বুঢ়া বৰালী | বিস্তৰ কৰি দিবাহা জালি ||

বাঢ়ি দিবা টেঙাৰ ঝোল | খাবৰ বেলা মুণ্ড নোতোল ||

The brief example given below is from a body of highly popular Bengali proverbs and aphorisms from the 10th century, known as the Wisdom of Daka.

Seasonal Best Foods

In the month of Kartika — eat ol root.

In Magha (Agrahayana) — eat bel fruit.

In Paus — eat kanif; in Phalgun — take ginger.

In Chaitra — eat bitter foods.

In Vaisakh — eat neem and nalita leaves.

In Jaisthya — drink buttermilk.

In Asadha — eat curd; in Sravan — popped rice.

In Bhadra — eat tal fruit; in Asvin — cucumbers.

Daka says, this is my Baramasa.

Any dish tastes best when leaves are young and fish are mature. Daka advises choosing and collecting the best ingredients before cooking and savoring them.