Panta Bhat (Bangladeshi Soaked Rice with Fried Fish)
Cold soaked rice with raw onion, green chilli, mustard oil and crisp fried sardines. A cooling, savoury meal for a hot day.
- Time25 min (plus overnight soak)
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £2.00 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- 1014kcal
- 109.4gcarbs
- 5.7gof which sugars
- 39.1gfat
- 10.5gsaturates
- 54.4gprotein
- 4.3gfibre
- 3.8gsalt
A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
The day before, spread the cooked rice on a tray to cool within 1 hour. Put it in a bowl, stir in half the salt and pour over the cold water. Cover and keep in the fridge overnight. Traditionally it stands at room temperature, but in the UK the fridge is safer for cooked rice.
480 min - 2
Next day, rub the sardines with the turmeric and the rest of the salt.
- 3
Heat 2 tbsp of the mustard oil in a frying pan until the sharp smell softens. Fry the sardines for 3 minutes on each side, until crisp and cooked through.
6 min - 4
In the same pan, fry the dried chillies for 20 seconds until dark.
0 min 20 s - 5
Spoon the rice and some of its soaking water into two bowls. It should be cool, slightly tangy and a little soupy.
- 6
Serve with the sardines, onion, green chillies, fried dried chillies, lemon wedges and a drizzle of the last 1 tbsp raw mustard oil.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
