How did the peoples panta bhaat make its way to the MasterChef Australia finale?
Roughly translated, panta bhaat is the rice that sleeps overnight and is born anew in the morning. In Eastern India and Bangladesh, it is the common mans breakfast staple, the starch that provides sustenance and provides some relief in the summer months. For farmers and other workers whose jobs entailed manual labour, this was the breakfast that kept them going through the day. In periods of famine, it was this soaked rice that offered something by way of nutrition when other crops failed and food became a scarce resource. The added water extended a meagre portion of the rice and helped a household survive on less. Panta bhat is simple, leftover cooked rice is soaked in water and left overnight for 8-12 hours. The mildly fermented watery gruel is eaten with a simple dollop of mashed potato or simply a green chilli, raw onions and a splash of mustard oil. The overnight fermentation increases its probiotic value making it easy on the gut. In addition, its cooling properties make it a popular summer food and the additional micronutrients and vitamins also help tackle malnutrition among the economically disadvantaged. The idea of panta bhaat in many households was to have a ready meal before the stoves were lit and cooking commenced for the day. The tradition also predated a time of refrigerators thereby preventing spoilage of the leftover rice, an especially handy trick in homes where every last grain mattered. For farmers and other working folk who left home early in the morning, this was breakfast as well as the meal that kept them going through the day. The many incarnations of panta bhaat  The curious thing about the panta bhaat is that it straddles many avatars. It is the poor mans staple, a summer delicacy, a ritualistic offering during Hindu pujas and paired with fried hilsaa celebration of the seasonal bounty. In Bangladesh, Poila Boishakh or the first day of the Bengali New Year, is ushered in with a celebration of rice spotlighted by the panta bhaat. The feast features panta bhaat with a number of accompaniments like fried hilsa, an assortment of bhortas or mashed veggies and greens, dried fish pastes, chutneys and dals. In Bengal, an indulgent panta bhaat meal is an equal combination of textures and flavoursthe cold gruel-like rice is served with an aloo bhaate (boiled potato mashed with mustard oil, chilli and onion), dal, stir-fried greens and deep fried fish. In Odisha, pakhela bhaat is served with a gamut of local vegetables, fritters and flame roasted vegetable mashes while in Assam, poita bhaat is served with a gamut of local vegetables, fritters and flame roasted vegetable mashes while in Assam, there are fermented chutneys and a range of mashed sides including boiled eggs and fish. From the prized ilish to the small fish and fishermens bycatch, the combinations and sides for panta bhaat are numerous and as long as you can pair them, there are no rules really. The raw green chilies and onions are largely common to all. Critics may be voluble in their dismissals and let them eat panta bhaat is what we say. Be it ever so humble there is no place like homeKishwar Chowdhurys dish is a symbol of her home, the people it belongs to and an undying love of rice. Kishwar's Smoked Rice Water recipe for MasterChef Australia