Sheem Bhorta is a Bangladeshi mashed broad bean dish — boiled sheem (hyacinth beans/broad beans) pounded with mustard oil, onion, garlic, green chili, and dried shrimp into a hearty, earthy, protein-rich mash. It is a winter specialty in Bangladesh, when sheem beans are in season and every household makes this bhorta.
Sheem Bhorta is a seasonal Bangladeshi dish, made in winter when sheem (hyacinth beans, Lablab purpureus) are fresh and abundant. Sheem is a winter vegetable in Bangladesh — the beans are shelled, boiled until soft, then pounded with the classic bhorta ingredients: raw onion, garlic, green chili, dried shrimp, and mustard oil. The result is a hearty, earthy mash that is richer and more substantial than other bhortas (because of the beans' protein content). It is a celebration of winter produce, eaten with rice and dal.
A bowl of pale green-beige, chunky mash with flecks of pink dried shrimp and green chili. The beans are mealy and earthy; the mustard oil is pungent; the dried shrimp add umami; the raw onion gives crunch. It is heartier than other bhortas — almost a meal in itself.
The beans must be boiled until completely soft (undercooked beans are toxic — hyacinth beans contain cyanogenic glycosides that are destroyed by thorough cooking). The boiling takes 15-20 minutes. The skins can be left on or removed (some prefer the smoother texture without skins). The mashing is done in a mortar with the raw ingredients.
Variations
Some remove the skins; some add coconut; some omit the dried shrimp; the bean variety varies.
On the Palate
Where Sheem Bhorta sits in the Bangladeshi flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 20 min active + 10 min waiting
- 15 min
Shell 300 g sheem (hyacinth beans).
- 220 min
Boil in salted water 20 minutes until completely soft; drain thoroughly.
Watch outBoil the beans until fully soft with no raw crunch — hyacinth beans must be cooked right through, both for safety and so they mash smooth.
- 33 min
Transfer to a mortar.
- 45 min
Add 1 finely diced onion, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 chopped green chilies, 30 g soaked dried shrimp, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- 52 min
Pound to a coarse mash.
Watch outPound to a coarse mash where the aromatics streak evenly through, not a smooth purée — the texture is the whole character of a bhorta.
- 61 min
Add 3 tbsp mustard oil; mix well.
- 71 min
Serve with rice and dal.
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