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.
The home of the Raj was Calcutta, which is in Bengal. These are the recipes from Bengal, and feature some distinctive flavours provided by panch phoran and liberal use of mustard seeds and powder.
Bengal was divided into East and West Bengal during Partition. East Bengal became known as Bangladesh, which has provided a large number of the chefs used in Western European restaurants. Calcutta is now known as Kolkatta.
These Bengali recipes are probably very recognisable to most people who love Indian food.
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.
This is a simple dish of carrots, beans and lifted with lime. Gajar sem ki sabzi is a common Bengali preparation.
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.
This Bengali chutney, am ki chutni, is a tangy, and slightly spicy chutney which goes well with any rice or lentil dish.
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.
Creamy, nutritious, protein-rich, iron and mineral-rich, fibre-rich, dal palang is probably the healthiest dish in this cookbook.
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.
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.
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.
With chunky pieces of lime and robust spices, this tangy pickle, nimbu ka achaar, is an ideal accompaniment to everything in this cookbook.
Alu mattar tamatar might well be the most popular vegetable curry in India. Potatoes, peas and tomato goes with just about everything.