With Durga Pujo round the corner, you would find people munching upon some lip-smacking Bengali cuisine all over the ‘Pandals’. Bengali cuisine has the finest blends of non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. It is also popular for its subtle use of spices and flavors. What adds to the distinct flavor is that the food is typically cooked in mustard oil.
Talking about Bengali dishes, all that comes to one’s mind is ‘machher jhol’, ‘jhaal murri’, ‘mishti doi’ but wait; there is something more beyond all these amazing dishes that one can savor on. Bengali cuisine has a wide variety of dishes for all. Sweet, tangy and spicy they have everything that would just treat your taste-buds right.
So are you confused about what dishes to try in the pandals? Don’t worry, you would want to eat everything when you visit the pandal and still can’t have enough of it. The aroma of the freshly cooked delicacies will make you stop at the stall and try some mouth-watering dishes!
Let’s look into some tasty as well as popular Bengali dishes-
Begun bhaja
Any Bengali meal is incomplete without the ‘begun bhaja’. It is nothing but eggplant marinated with turmeric powder, salt and a pinch of red chili powder fried in mustard oil making it extremely crunchy and tasty.
Shorshe ilish
If you ask any Bengali which is their favourite when it comes to fish ‘ilish maach’ is always on top for most of the Bengalis. And why not, when it’s cooked with mustard and perfectly selected spices it has to be the best.
Chowmein
We all definitely can’t explain our love for Chinese, but just once if you try this amazing dish at any stall you will want to eat more and more of it. Chowmein is a Chinese term for a dish stir-fried noodle cooked with veggies and also has variants added with chicken chunks and prawns or shrimps.
Mutton biryani
This is must try dish. The dish has a unique smell of ‘desi ghee’ with rich ‘masalas’ that you’ll enjoy. The juicy tender chunks of mutton with slightly sautéed spices make it even more mouth-watering. 
Mangsho kosha
This is a spicy mutton curry aka Mangsho kosha! It is believed that Bengalis live to eat and not the other way round with most of them have grown licking their fingers to this lip-smacking and palatable gravy and perfectly cooked mutton pieces. 
Chingri malai curry
‘Chingri’ means prawns or shrimps that is cooked with hot and rich spices, malaria curry aka coconut milk which makes it extremely delicious.
Doi maach – Doi maach is a comforting fish curry and it tastes the best along with steamed rice. This ‘Doi Maach’ is made of chunks of fish cooked in flavorsome yogurt along with mild spices. 
Bhaaja moog daaler khichuri
This is the staple food during Durgo Pujo Utsav and Lakshmi Pujo. This khichuri is made of fried moong dal accompanied with vegetables like carrot, green peas and begun bhajja. 
Egg roll
This dish is very famous in other states by the name ‘kathi roll’. Egg roll is the most loved snack by all. One can find these delicious egg roll stalls in almost all the tiny lanes of Kolkata. The roll can be prepared using chicken and mutton but it tastes the best with egg. 
Rosogulla
When it comes to sweet and Bengalis, it’s obvious you cannot miss out on ‘rosogullas’. There is nothing much to say about this sweet dish, we all know that it is not less than heaven. Yes it is that delicious, so go grab some drenched in that yummy sugar syrup.
Mishit doi
Misthidoi is another appetizing sweet dish that is famous amongst the Bengalis and non-bengalis. Like the Bengali language this yogurt variation is made of yogurt and date palm jiggeryand also with lots of love!
Sondesh
This is another Bengali dessert made with sugar and milk and basically everyone’s favorite. You visit a Bengali’s place they would welcome you with some rosogullas and sondesh irrespective of what time of the day you visit them. They are sweet just like those amazing Bengali desserts!
Make sure you savor your taste buds with all these yummy Bengali dishes. From snacks to sweet dishes, Bengali food has something to offer all food enthusiasts.