Menu: Bangladesh

In my hunt to find the perfect combination of recipes I read this old saying, “Mach-e Batth-e Bangali” (“Fish and rice make a Bengali” – “the country of Bengal” is the direct translation of Bangladesh). This saying gives a snapshot of what daily meals are like on the river delta where fish are plentiful and rice is handy. If you have time a pot of Basmati rice goes wonderfully with this menu. Other great sides include naan and chapati breads.

PS. The potatoes were hot. Not advised for children, unless you are ok with the side effect: laser eyes.

Potato Curry (Aloor Dom/Aloo Dum) [Recipe]
Small red potatoes cooked in a blend of spices including cardamom, cinnamon, red chili powder, ginger paste, and onion.

Fish and leeks in Hot Mustard Sauce (Sorse Bata Diya Maach) [Recipe]
Even when marinated overnight, a hearty fish like trout or salmon holds up to a spice bath of turmeric, mustard, cumin, garam masala, cilantro, ginger, and garlic.

Spinach Bhaji (Palong Shaak Bhaji) [Recipe]
Spinach stir-fried with panch phoron, the Bangladeshi 5 spice made up of fennel seed, mustard seed, black nigella, golden fenugreek and brown cumin seed

Vermicelli in Sweet Custard (Shemai Custard) [Recipe]
In this Bengali recipe, vermicelli is cooked in cardamom flavored milk, tossed with golden raisins and slivered almonds. This dessert can be served hot or cold.

Spellings vary by region. Every effort has been made to be accurate. If you notice an error, please let me know.

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