beef bhuna
This recipe for bhuna gorur mangsho produces a dish that is rich and intense in character from the caramelisation of the onions and the frying of the spices. The meat cooks in its own juices, giving the dish a deep flavour.
bengali
These are our favourite Bengali recipes.
Bengal is the region that includes Kolkatta, or Calcutta as was then called, which was the centre of the British administration. Most of the time the family was in India this is where they called home.
In that time Bengal included Bangladesh. The west Bengali and Bangladeshi cuisine are the bases of much of what the Raj loved about Indian food. For many of them and their descendants, this is comfort food.
onion bhaji
Onion bhaji are one of the great staters or snacks. The trick to making vengaya bhaji is to ensure there is more onion than batter.
carrots and beans with lime
This is a simple dish of carrots, beans and lifted with lime. Gajar sem ki sabzi is a common Bengali preparation.
roasted cauliflower
This recipe for phulkopir roast is a Bengali family recipe and on high rotation in my Grandmother’s cuisine. It is of those simple vegetarian dishes that features the main ingredient.
mango chutney
This Bengali chutney, am ki chutni, is a tangy, and slightly spicy chutney which goes well with any rice or lentil dish.
Bengali dal
The Bengali version of tarka dal. Peyaj dal has a slightly sweet taste because of the way the onions are caramelised in jaggery and balances the bite of the chilli.
dal and spinach
Creamy, nutritious, protein-rich, iron and mineral-rich, fibre-rich, this dal and spinach dish, or dal palang is probably the healthiest recipe in this cookbook.
garam masala
Of all the masala mixes that exist in Indian cookery garam masala is the best known. It is usually added to a dish towards the end of the cooking process.
panch phoran
This mix of fives spices, panch phoran, is the taste of Bengal. It is most commonly used to temper oil for dal and fish dishes.
paneer with capsicum, tomato and onion
This dish, kadai paneer, is a combination of paneer, capsicum, tomato, onion and spices cooked in ghee. It is the Bengali way to prepare paneer.
hot lime pickle
With chunky pieces of lime and robust spices, this tangy pickle, nimbu ka achaar, is an ideal accompaniment to everything in this cookbook.
potato and cauliflower
A dry vegetable curry. This recipe for alu gobi is a typical Bengali vegetable dish. It features crispy potato and just-cooked cauliflower.