Fish, chicken, and mutton are an integral part of Bengali cuisine. Many people are of the view that Bengali cuisine is dominated by non-vegetarian, but it is not valid. Bengal is one of the first few places to add potatoes in biryani, and any Kolkata biryani is incomplete without potatoes. Even in Bengali weddings, niramish or vegetarian foods are an important part. There are many street foods and household preparations that are being shared in this article and you would surely be amazed by the diversity of Bengali cuisine.
1.Shukto
It is a kind of mixed vegetables recipe made with potatoes, brinjal, bitter gourd, raw bananas, and lots of other veggies. It is very light, as it does not contain lots of spices. It is white in color as milk is often used in this recipe.
2.Alur Dom
There are many aloo dum preparations all over India, but this preparation is quite different. It is a perfect balance of sourness and sweetness. Soft and delicate potatoes cooked in tomato-based gravies prepared with dried red chilies, cumin, and ginger paste.
3.Basanti Pulao
This is a traditional Bengali rice preparation. It is prepared mainly during Saraswati or Durga Puja. It goes best with dhokar dalna and kosha mangsho.It is slightly sweet and prepared with gobindo bhog rice. It is prepared by marinating the rice with ghee, turmeric powder, salt, ginger paste.
4.Dhokar Dalna
It is one of the premium vegetarian dishes in Bengali cuisine. Lentils cake cooked with asafetida, nigella seeds. It is then left to set and then cut in diamond or square shapes. It is further cooked in a rich, spicy gravy of dry coconut, poppy seeds, and cashew paste.
5.Alur Posto
It is a delicious potato preparation with poppy seeds, mustard oil, green chilies. It has to be one of the most essential parts of a Bengali thali. It is a very famous recipe and is prepared in various ways that vary from region to region.
6.Khichuri
This porridge is made with gobindobhog rice and sona moong dal and then gets its characteristic flavor. It is often prepared with vegetables like potatoes, ridge gourd, bottle gourd, drumsticks. It is also prepared during the festivals and very famous among the locals.
7.Luchi
It is one of the most famous street foods of West Bengal. It is served with either spicy potato curry or cholar dal. It is not the traditional kachoris we eat, there is a hint of sugar in the dough, and the texture is also slightly different.
8.Chanar Kofta
It is a Bengali version of malai kofta but the gravy preparation is different. Soft and delicate chenna balls cooked in spicy gravy. It is eaten with fried rice or paranthas. It is an excellent preparation and is a must-try dish.
9.Radha Ballavi
Kachoris are stuffed with a mixture of lentils, asafetida, nigella seeds, and served with spicy potato vegetable curry. It is served in various famous food joints and is considered one of the most loved dishes in this part of the world. It is often confused with urad dal kachoris but its preparation is entirely different.
10.Alur Chop
Telebhaja or fritters are very popular tea-time snacks of Bengal. Potatoes are sometimes boiled or cooked separately with dried red chilies, coriander seeds, or cumin seeds, and then wrapped in a besan coating. You can find innumerous telebhajas shops all around Kolkata.
11.Ghugni
It is a very popular street food in Kolkata. It is served with green chilies, tomatoes, sev. It is either eaten separately or served as a chat with singhara, tikkis. It is tangy and sour and very delicious.
12.Dantha Chorchori
It is a delicious recipe for drumsticks. It is cooked in a mixture of poppy seeds, green chilies. It is very spicy and served with steamed rice. It is a very traditional recipe and is a part of every Bengali household. The zing provides due to poppy seeds is unparalleled.
13.
Labra
It is also a mixed vegetable recipe like Shukto but completely different. It is richer on the spices. It is served with khichuri during bhogs or as a Prasad. It is a mixture of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, drumsticks, and brinjal. It is made with panch-phoron, which gives its characteristic flavor and taste.
14.Mochar Chop
It is a wonderful fritter recipe made out of banana flowers. It is seasoned with salt, spices, ginger, and green chili paste. It is also a part of every telebhaja shop. It is crispy and soft on the inside and has a very unique texture and taste. Mochar ghonto is also very popular.
15.Jhuri Aloo Bhaja
It is a dish that goes very well with hot steamed rice, dal-fry. It is finely chopped potatoes deep-fried and then served with peanuts and curry leaves. It is not efficiently prepared because it needs a lot of hard work and dedication.
16.Lauer Ghonto
It is prepared with bottle gourd and bori (dal fritters). It is also prepared with panch-phoron, ginger, and green chili paste. It is very light and filling. It is also a preparation that is readily eaten with steamed rice. The non-vegetarian version is prepared with a fish’s head which is also very delicious.
17.Posto Bora
It is a fritter made with poppy seeds. This recipe has also many ways to be prepared. It is pretty soft and delectable and the best part about the fritter has to be the hard, rich flavor of poppy seeds.
18.Cholar Dal
Sweets shop prepares this recipe the best. It is cooked with green chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, and dried red chilies. It is served with luchi or kochuris. This dal preparation is a little sweet as few chefs add jaggery, sugar syrup, or sugar.
19.Singhara
It is different from samosas, as it is stuffed with cubes of smooth potatoes. It is actually a spicy curry that is made of potatoes and then dried so that it can be easily stuffed inside the singhara. It has cauliflower (seasonal) and roasted peanuts.
20.Begun Bhaja
It is a brinjal preparation, where it is marinated with salt, turmeric powder, sugar, and then deep-fried. It is eaten with luchi or khichuri and is a wonderful addition to this list.
