Food holds a special place in Bengali culture. While we do have our grand dishes, it is the simpler dishes that really steal the show. Not everyone has mastered Bengali cuisine, be it for lack of interest or practice or complexity. And so, the following recipes are just some of the popular dishes that are not only easy to make but also easy on the stomach. Try them out; they will most certainly not disappoint.

2 tbsp split Bengal gram (chickpea)

2 tbsp skinned green gram or yellow moong dal

2 tbsp split green gram or green moong dal

2 tbsp pigeon pea or arhar dal

2 tbsp pink lentil or masoor dal

½ cup potatoes, cut into cubes

½ cup carrot, cut into cubes

½ cup tomatoes, cut into cube

Wash the chickpeas and soak in water for 2 hours. Combine rice and all types of dals except chickpeas. Wash them properly. Soak using enough water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drain the water and keep it aside. Heat the ghee and oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When seeds start to splutter add bay leaves, dry red chillies and cloves. Add onions, sauté until onion gets transparent. Add garlic paste and sauté until raw aroma goes away. Add potatoes and carrot, sauté for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and mix well. Add all the spices and mix well. Add drained rice and dals. Mix well and 4-5 cups of water. Add salt and green chillies. Cover and cook till done. Garnish the panchadal khichuri with fried onions and coriander leaves. Serve hot with spoon of ghee.  

Clean and chop banana flower or kolar mocha. Boil them with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Drain water. Allow it to cool completely. Mix all other ingredients with boiled banana flower. Mash them properly. Give them cutlet shape. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the chop until brown. Serve hot.

Make a smooth paste of fennel seeds, grated ginger and chopped green chillies. Keep it aside. Beat the yoghurt with little water and sugar, keep it aside. Scrap the skin of the pointed gourd and peel alternately and make slits on both the ends. Heat oil in a pan and add the pointed gourd. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder, fry the pointed gourd till it takes nice brown colour.

Take out the pointed gourd and keep aside. On the same oil, add bay leaf, dry red chillies, cardamom, cinnamon stick and black cumin. As the masala leave a nice aroma, add the fennel, ginger and chilli paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Add beaten yoghurt. Keep stirring on medium heat till yoghurt is cooked. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and sugar. Mix well and add fried pointed gourd. Mix well and add little water. Cover and cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Check the seasoning, adjust accordingly. Serve hot.  

500g baby potatoes, boiled and peeled

In a wok, heat oil on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and fry for 10 seconds. Add ginger and green chillies. Stir well and fry for few seconds. Add boiled potatoes and fry. Add all the spices and stir for 2-3 minutes. If you feel its sticking to the bottom of the pan, lower the heat. Add a splash of water, sugar, salt and chopped coriander. Turn off the heat. Cover with a lid and let it rest for a few minutes as the potatoes soak in all the spices. Serve with khichuri or paratha.

Wash the mutton pieces properly. Apply the papaya paste to the mutton and leave it for half an hour. Grind all the spice ingredients and make a fine powder. Heat oil in a vessel, add onion and fry for 1 minute. Then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell goes off. Add yoghurt, tomato puree and salt. Fry for few minutes. Add the mutton and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame for 20 minutes. Now add garam masala powder and green chillies to the mutton. Mix and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Take chicken pieces and marinade with salt and lemon. Let it rest for half an hour. Then deep fry until crisp. Now, in a blender, add cashews and almonds; tomatoes, onion ginger and garlic. Heat oil in a pan. Add the all the blended ingredients to the pan. Fry the mixture until the oil starts to separate. Add some water and stir. Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, pepper and salt. Mix well and add fried chicken pieces. Cook till all the flavours combine. Once done, serve and enjoy. 

Pour milk in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add lemon juice and prepare the chhana. Then using a strainer, extract the chhana in a bowl and knead it to make a soft dough. Now divide the dough into small portions and roll it into small balls resembling a roshgolla. Keep them aside. Meanwhile, take another deep bottomed pan and put it on medium flame. Add water and sugar. Cook until thick consistency is reached. Add saffron and red food colour. Stir to prepare nice red sugar syrup and turn off the flame.

Soak the prepared roshgolla in the sugar syrup and allow it to cook in the syrup. For preparing the outer coating, take a non-stick pan, add mawa and cook until it changes colour. Add grated coconut, icing sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Once done, prepare flat circles from the mawa mixture and keep aside. Remove the soaked roshgolla from the syrup. Now place one roshgolla into the flat mawa circle and lift the mawa from all sides and roll back giving it a round shape. Coat the ball with roasted mawa and place it over plate.  Keep these in the refrigerator for 1 hour and serve.

½ cup aromatic rice, soaked in water for 30 minutes and then strained

½ cup chopped nuts (cashew, pistachio, almond, and walnut)

1 pinch saffron (soaked in 1/3 cup warm milk)

Few drops rose water, optional

Take a pan, melt the ghee in it. Add the strained rice and chopped nuts to it. Fry for few minutes. Do not burn the rice. Take out the rice and chopped nuts and keep aside.

In a pan, add the 2 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. Caramel the sugar by stirring continuously on low heat. When the caramel is made, add the fried rice and nuts to the same pan, add the milk and start boiling all together. Add cardamom powder and saffron milk. Cook until the milk reduces and thicken. Add rest of the sugar and boil for 2-3 minutes. The colour of the payesh will be brownish for the caramel. Turn off the heat, add rose water, stir and let the payesh cool down completely. Keep in a refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Remove just before serving. Garnish with chopped nuts on top. Enjoy.

Peel the coconut and grate into thin slices. In a pan, put water and sugar. Bring to a boil until it thickens. Pour the grated coconut flakes. Turn continuously until it becomes crispy under medium heat. Remove from heat and allow it to cool completely. Serve or store in air tight container.