Aloo Posto
This is an ever popular dish hailing originally from West Bengal but equally appreciated by Bengalis from the eastern part as well. This is a dish that is eaten all season but especially during summer. Posto, the key ingredient in this dish helps your body rest and helps in getting a good sleep. It is a delicious dish to eat but simple and easy enough to cook.
Begun Pora
Begun pora is an authentic preparation eaten in Bengal as part of everyday meal. It is healthy, tasty and simple. Whenever we had a busy day of shopping together as a family, mom would plan something like this as it was so convenient and less work after a hectic day. With a little bit of planning it is easy to make. All you need is a daal to go along. I prefer to eat it with rice, but it is also quite commonly eaten with chapatti as well with some daal and achar to go along with.
Patal Chingri
This recipe was created by me with inspiration from a childhood friend. During one of our conversations, she reminded me of patal the seasonal vegetable and how she cooks it to please her husband’s taste buds as he would it eat it no other way than this. I had some good tiger prawns in the fridge and decided to add that in as I thought it could enrich the flavor a lot more. Try this dish, I can promise you will like it even if you don’t like patal.
Pumpkin Green Curry with Chickpeas
This dish is traditional in East India, around West Bengal. It was given to me by my friend, Sunita. It is ideal for vegetarians, or meat can be added if you wish. If pumpkin isn't in season, my friend tells me it can also be made with any sort of root vegetable - butternut squash, yam or sweet potato. Sunita, tells me this recipe was originally her mothers, although she has adapted it, but she doesn'tt know how many generations it has been passed down. It is ideal served with rice or naan.
Ammu's Bele Mach er Chochchori (Bele Fish)
A chochchori is a rich dish with a lot of onions spiced up with turmeric and red chilli powders. This dish brings back fond memories of my mother calling out from our veranda to a Mach-wala, and buying a bunch of fresh fish jumping up and down in the water of the container. A Mach-wala is a man who goes around neighborhood streets carrying an abundance of fresh live fish in a big pot like container on top of his head. The dish tastes great when the fish has just been bought and cooked fresh.
Bina's Begun Diye Shutki (Eggplant-Dry Fish Curry)
This is a typical everyday dish, and is a favorite to shukti(uncooked dry fish) fans. However, many people do not like the strong smell of the uncooked dry fish, but I LOVE shutki, so I had to share this recipe I have collected recently from my friend, Bina :)
Unaiza's Fried Egg Over Easy With Curry
I have never tried this very unique recipe, but my friend, Unaiza, assured that it tastes great! I know some common recipes for frying eggs, but this is the first time I found a recipe for frying eggs over easy with curry. Enjoy!
Doi Ilish Curry (Youghurt Hilsa Curry)
This recipe is by my mom's friend, Yasmin Aunty. It is not spicy, but rather is a bit milky and creamy. Doi Ilish can be served with plain rice or white pulao.
Yasmin's Pani Kochur Korma (Tora Korma)
Pani Kochu (Tora) is a root vegetable found in south Asia which is somewhat like a potato, but it turns quite gluey when cooked. I never tried this recipe, but I like anything that has coconut milk in it. Pani Kochur Korma can be cooked at special occasions, and is eaten with pulao or tandoori rooti.
Yasmin's Ilish Koromcha Curry
Ilish is the national fish of Bangladesh that is widely found during the rainy season. This curry is sweet, sour and spicy, and is quite easy to make. It can be eaten with pulao or plain white rice.
Yasmin's Ilish Tetul Curry (Hilsa Fish-Tamarind Curry)
Ilish is the national fish of Bangladesh that is widely found during the rainy season. This curry is sweet, sour and spicy, and is quite easy to make. It is made in the same process as Ilish Koromcha, but has a distinct tamarind taste.
Unaiza's Deem Bhaji Curry
Deem Bhaji Curry is an easy to make quick curry. It can be served as breakfast with parathas or for lunch with rice.
Chicken with Coconut Pieces
This recipe is native to North Bengal of Bangladesh. People here like to eat a lot of coconut. The recipe is unique because coconut flesh is cut into strips, rather than grated or blended to make a paste or milk. The cooked coconut strips are crunchy and make a great combination with the spicy chicken curry.
It is served with white pulao or plain rice.
Chingri Data Aloo Curry
Data is a stem like common everyday vegetable in the Bengal. It is cut into slices as long as French fries. The Chingri Data Aloo Curry is not difficult, and is slightly spicy. The taste of fried shrimps with aloo and data is quite exquisite. It is eaten with plain white rice.
Gorur Gosht (beef curry)
Gorur Gosht or beef curry is a common everyday dish in Bengal and South Asia. It is spicy, and is eaten with practically anything-rice, pulao, bread, rooti, paratha, loochi and biryani.
Loti Chingri Shutki Curry
Loti or Lotee is a kind of stem like vegetable found in the Bengal. It becomes gluey and slippery when cooked. The Loti Chingri Shutkey curry is a bit spicy, and is eaten with plain white rice.