If food had to look ugly, it’s gota sheddho. Ok, please don’t hate me!! I am a Bangal, and growing up in Port Blair, I was never exposed to this Ghoti tradition of having gota sheddho the day after Saraswati pujo. For the uninitiated, Bangal means people with their roots in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), and Ghoti are people originating from West Bengal.
Being married into a Ghoti family, the sight of this unappealing, cold food the day after Saraswati puja was a shock. But first impressions are often wrong. Gota sheddho is one brilliant dish that tastes incredibly good. It is a hassle-free cook with no spices. And the best part—it is superbly healthy.
Decoding Gota Sheddho
You need six kinds of vegetables that grow in this season
- baby eggplant
- hyacinth beans
- whole green peas
- baby potatoes
- sweet potatoes
- spinach shoot (also known as sheesh palong in Bengali).
It is so specific that it is difficult to get baby eggplant even a week before Saraswati pujo here in Kolkata. You also need six of each. And do not cut them or even peel them. Just wash them thoroughly with water before cooking. The dal used varies from home to home. Some use whole green moong dal (like I did), and some use whole urad dal. All of these are cooked together, and for flavouring, one can add ginger, fennel and a bit of salt. No Bengali vegetarian food is complete without sugar. And when everything is cooked, add sugar to taste. Take this out and refrigerate it (if you are in a hot country), or else you can keep it outside also. The next day, serve it cold with green chillies and mustard oil.
Significance of this tradition:
People cook Gota Sheddho on the night of Basant Panchami or Saraswati Puja and let it sit overnight. The next day, they eat it cold on Shitol Shoshthi, the sixth day of the month. Bengali women honour Ma Shashthi, the goddess of fertility, by praying for their children’s health and happiness. Following tradition, they avoid hot food and prepare all meals the day before, including other special dishes that vary from home to home.
On Shitol Shoshthi, families give the Shil Nora (the flat stone grinder) a break, and some even perform pujo for it. Sharing food is a significant part of this tradition. People pass around a bowl of Gota Sheddho among family, friends, and neighbours, strengthening bonds and fostering a sense of community.
We did a beautiful video on Instagram and YouTube on Gota Sheddho and people asked us how we made it look so beautiful. Well, when the food is so good, what’s not to make it look beautiful?
Share your cooking with us –
Do try this recipe and share your feedback. You can also reach out to us at our social media handles Instagram, Facebook or any of our personal Facebook (Madhushree & Anindya) & Twitter profiles. Post a picture and tag us.
Here is the YT video which we made on Gota Shedhho –
Here is our Instagram video on the same –

Gota Sheddho
Ingredients
- 1 cup green moong dal (mung bean) or, you can use whole urad dal (whole black lentil)
- 6 baby eggplant
- 6 hyacinth beans (sheem)
- 6 whole pea pods
- 6 small size sweet potatoes
- 6 baby potatoes
- 6 spinach shoots (sheesh palong)
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 inch ginger crushed
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 green chilies
- 2 tsp mustard oil
Instructions
- Wash all the vegetables thoroughly but do not peel or cut them.
- Soak the dal overnight for better texture.
- In a large saucepan or kadai, bring 1 litre water to a boil and add the soaked dal.
- Add crushed ginger and fennel seeds to this. Add a little salt.
- Once the dal starts boiling, add baby potatoes and sweet potatoes.
- Let them cook until they start softening.
- Add baby eggplants, hyacinth beans, whole green peas, and spinach shoots. Let everything cook together until tender.
- Add sugar to balance the flavours. Turn off the heat and let the dish cool.
- Refrigerate overnight if you are in a warm climate, or keep it outside in a cool place.
- Serve the next day, cold, drizzled with mustard oil and accompanied by fresh green chilies.