We Bengalis are an all-time food-lovers. Whether we stay in the country or far from our Motherland, we make our little community with our love for food. Bengalis are classified as Epar Bangla and Opar Bangla. No, we are not only football and politics fanatics, but we also know how to win guests’ hearts with our Bengali food menu.
Food And Bengali
When a Bengali person or family organizes a lunch party, you must remember that it will be a spread to remember. We have so many varieties of dishes that it takes a few lunch parties to complete the Bengali menu (jokes apart). In this article, I will share specific important, delicious, and unforgettable Bengali menus for lunch party. It will give you lifetime experience if you are lucky to get an invitation to a lunch party in a Bengali house.
Also, if you want to impress your friends, boss or partner, then this article is your best hand manual to know about the menus of the Bengali lunch party. Every occasion of a Bengali ends with food. They just can’t live without food. From Poila Baisakh to Durga Puja, from wedding to New Year, every party starts and ends with food. We really do not care about our weight when we have “sorshe illish” on our plate.
Food is like heaven for us. It gives real pleasure to our tastebud. Living away from home makes us miss our mom-cooked food, but we ourselves become the cook when you crave for “Lau chingri.” Now let’s quickly dive into the list of Bengali menu for lunch party. In this article, the menu is divided into 3 sections, i.e. Starter, Main-Course, and Desserts. You will get a wide variety of options to choose from all three sections so that you do not miss out on the Bengali menu.
Sukto
Sukto, a bitter-sweet starter that is must in the Bengali menu. Yes, start our lunch with the bitter dish, and we are proud of that. It is specially made of bitter gourd and other vegetables in mustard oil. Some houses also add milk to sukto to cut down the bitter taste of the bitter gourd. It is a fantastic soupy sukto that is a must in the Bengali menu for lunch party.
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Saag – leafy fry
This is an interesting item in a Bengali lunch menu. We have innumerable variations of saag. Like for example- palang saag, laal saag, sorshe saag, methi saag. As per the season, one can choose the saag and prepare with chili, mustard oil, and black cumin. It is simple and easy.
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Dal or Lentil Soup
The second menu that comes on the lunch plate is Dal or lentil soup. We use various recipes of dal like- ” masoor dal”, “muger dal macher matha diye” (yellow dal with fish head),” cholar daal”, to dal (Choose any dal and add raw mango to make the taste sour). It is a dal that Bengalis prefer during the summertime.
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Begun/Kumro phul/potol/ aloo/pat Bhaja
With dal, the above fries are the must item for the Bengali menu for lunch party. Without these fries, your lunch menu is incomplete. To relish the taste of the dal, any fry option is just the right combination. Begun is Eggplant, Kumro phul – it is a flower of pumpkin vegetable, potol is parwal, aloo is potato, and pat is pumpkin fry dip in gram flour batter.
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Veg Platter
Dhokar Dalna
It is typically a veg dish that you can die for. It is prepared with chickpeas. After soaking the chickpeas overnight, make a fine paste and then fry it with all other masalas, then transfer into a plate, let it cool, and then cut into small cubes. Deep fry these cubes and set aside and then prepare rich tomato or Kaju gravy and then add the fried cubes. It is an excellent dish.
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Misali chochori
Different types of vegetables, both solid and leafy, are cut into long pieces. Adding the “chochori special tarka i.e., paanch phoron and green chilli, add the vegetables. Then, we need to add salt and turmeric as per taste and then cover it and let it cook in slow flame. You will get a beautiful aroma of all the mixed vegetables. This dish goes apt with dal or lentil soup.
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Drumstick (Sojne) or Aloo Posto
Now, “posto” is poppy seeds. If you do not have anything and you give a Bengali only rice and aloo posto, the person can have it all. It is that much favorite and tasty for any day in a Bengali’s life. Cut sojne or aloo in small cubes and then paste the poppy seeds with little bit salt and chili. Then, add both of them and cook nicely till it becomes thick. The gravy should not be too runny, and it should have a thick consistency. This dish is one of the main vegetarian fare of Bengali menu for lunch party.
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Alur Dom
It is a special dish that you can prepare with onion, garlic, or even without it. Even veg aloor dom is equally tasty and delicious. It is a regular dish in all households.
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Non-Veg Platter
Fish Curry
The number of people who do not eat fish in a Bengali family is very, very less. We are born to have fish. Fish curry is an everyday item in every household. Even if we do not have any vegetables for a day but have fish, then we are done for the day. Rui, katal, illish, chingri, bhetki are just a few names of fishes. We have a wide range of fish options. The preparations of fish are also different from each other. Most importantly, the fish Bengali menu for lunch party needs to be a bit more delicious than the regular days. The taste of the fish and curry takes you to another level.
Fish Paturi
It is a baked fish that we prepare in banana leaf. To raw fish, we add salt, turmeric, mustard paste, poppy seeds paste, chili, and then wrap the fish in banana leaf, and then we bake it with water underneath. After 10 to 15 minutes, you can remove it from the water. The raw fish mix with all spices has a unique taste.
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Meat- Chicken or Mutton
In most Bengali Sundays, you will find meat as a special lunch menu. It is mostly either chicken or mutton. Both the meat is prepared in thick gravy with extra oil, spices, and masala. It adds up a grand lunch in the Bengali household.
For a lunch party, it is very important for you to keep meat in the menu. It is an essential item in our Bengali platter. “Murgir jhol,”, yes that is what we call it and “ Pathar kasho mangsho”, which is a rich meat delicacy that takes your taste bud at a different level.
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Chingri Malaikari or Prawn Delicacy
We love prawn that is big. Bengalis call it “Galda Chingri”. It is specially cooked in coconut milk. The taste of this dish is little bit sweet and spicy. First, the prawn goes through cleaning process and then after frying them in deep oil. The gravy is prepared with good amount of coconut milk. Later, we garnish the dish with freshly cut shredded coconut. It is delicious and tasty that goes with fried rice or plain rice.
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Egg Curry
Well eggs also fall into our non-veg category and we do not go with the concept of eggetarian. We can prepare “dimer kosha”, “omlettee er jhol,” or simply poached eggs. The egg curry is again a rich dish where potato is a must. Mostly in every non-veg dish, aloo i.e., potato, is a must. Shapes of potato is different for different non-veg dish. For meat and egg, it is cut in two halves. For fish, we cut in long, thin pieces. For prawn, we cut in small cubes. Every dish we prepare has full-fledged art in it. We can include art in our dishes as well.
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Serve With
Plain Hot Rice
You can serve all these veg and non-veg dishes for Bengali menu for lunch party with groom bhaat. Yes, plain hot rice. It tastes yummy and full your appetite.
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Pulao or Fried Rice
IT is yet another rice item that you can prepare. They take a little time but the end result for your guests will be amazing. Having all the dishes that you choose with fried rice or pulao is amazing.
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Luchi
This is basically deep fried “puri” that is Bengali special luchi. Once you fry “phulko luchi,” you need to have it immediately, or else the taste of luchi will go away.
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Desserts
Tomato Chutney
This is a sweet dish that we prepare with a tomato. It is juicy, thick, and delicious. To make it even more tasty, one can add dates i.e. khejur or other dry fruits like cashew and raisins.
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Payesh or Kheer
It is a sweet delicacy that is prepared with rice in boiling milk. You can add dry fruits to give a rich taste to your sweet dish.
Rosogolla
Though we can prepare rosogolla at home. But it is one thing that Bengalis love. Rosogolla and Bengali and are inseparable. You cannot miss the menu with two rosogolla on your “bhater pate” (rice plate) at the end.
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Sandesh
It is a Bengali style milk cake that is a great combination with rosogolla. During winter, we prefer to have” khejurer Sandesh” a Sandesh made from jaggery. You cannot miss it or leave the plate without tasting these desserts.
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Misti Doi
Doi i.e., yogurt, is a dessert for us because it is made from milk and sugar, and hence it is called Misti Doi. It is yummy and tasty, and the thick misti doi is something that you will ask for more. This sweet is the cherry on the cake of a bengali menu for lunch party.
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Occasion For Lunch Party
You can call your friends over a lunch party for many Bengali occasions. These occasions are incomplete with Bengali menu for lunch party. Apart from birthday, we have annaprasan ceremony (baby’s first rice eating ceremony). It is a grand celebration when a baby first has rice. It is party time in a Bengali house, and lunch party is the must celebration.
Aashirbaad ceremony is another when a boy and a girl get engaged i.e., an engagement party, and it mostly happens during day time. So, this is an occasion where both the families, friends come together to bless the boy and the girl to start a new life. This celebration is again impossible without Bengali lunch.
Now that you are aware of all the menus, you can choose the best combinations for the lunch party. Call your friends at home and serve them the best Bengali menu for lunch party.
Arrange all the ingredients and items beforehand so that you can prepare the fish easily. Apart from checking the recipes online, you can even ask your mother and grandmother what special they offer to the dish that it becomes delicious and mouthwatering.
If you have a small guest list, then you can prepare the menus at home itself. You do not need any caterer to serve you. Making the menus with your hand, and being the host of the party gives the ultimate pleasure. You can have the menus with all your guests. Hence, planning is really important before you organize a full proof lunch party. If you stay outside West Bengal, or you have friends who are not Bengalis, then it is the best time for them to explore the Bengali menu for lunch party.
Call For Delivery Option
Also, there is real magic in cooking home-cooked food. But, if you have less time, then do not worry, you will get various options on the Bengali menu for lunch party from top-notch restaurants around you. They will cook the best Bengali dishes for your guests. As per heads, you can place the order, and it will deliver to your home. It is easy, fast, and authentic. Your guests will go ga-ga over the menu. You can rely on the kitchens of these restaurants. They serve you the best cuisine that is worth for your pocket.
Icy Tales
Last Updated on by Saket Kumar
