Bangladesh is a land of versatile cooking styles where you will find unique Bangladeshi food in every district. There are 64 districts, each with something special to offer its audience. People, in general, love spicy food, and some have the habit of biting green chilies with their rice, which is the staple of the Bangla food menu. On regular days, Bengalis enjoy plain rice with lentil soup, fish curry, and mashed potatoes. Bangladeshi food recipes feature a unique collection of desserts called “mishti,” typically made with cottage cheese (chana).
If you have a limited time frame to enjoy top-notch Bangladeshi foods, then I strongly recommend trying the following 25 recipes. They are delicious, authentic, and finger-licking good. Each one has unique features that make it a crowd favorite.
1. Biryani
Number one on the list has to be Biryani, because no festivity is complete without it. Mutton Biryani is the most common and traditionally made for occasions like weddings, anniversaries, parties, Eid ceremony, etc. There are other variations of Biryani too, like chicken Biryani, Hilsa Fish Biryani, Beef Biryani, Chickpea Biryani, Shrimp Biryani, Egg Biryani, and even vegetable Biryani.
2. Mezbani Mangsho or Beef Curry
Mezbani Mangsho, or Chatgaiyya Gorur Mangsho, is a classic beef curry dish famous across the country, but it originated in the City of Chittagong. You can find a similar version of this dish in most restaurants in the country, but to get the authentic taste of this Bengali food, you need to go to its original place. The beef curry turns out very spicy, with a thick gravy that is finger-licking good. It is typically served with polau or ghee tossed with fragmented rice.
3. Kala Vuna or Beef Curry Fried in Mustard Oil
This is another authentic beef curry dish originating in Chittagong, and it has made its mark around the country. The beef curry is made using a lot of spices like nutmeg, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom, and then the uniqueness of this dish is that it is fried in mustard oil with deep-fried garlic and onion to give it a pickle-like taste.
4. Haleem
Haleem is a high-protein stew made with mutton, with bones and fat left intact. It also contains legumes like dried lentils, mung beans, dried barley, and dried rice. Preparing this Bengali dish takes a little time, as you have to soak the grains and legumes for at least 4 hours, then pulse them. The cooking time takes at least 1 hour. But it is worth the wait and the effort. People in Bangladesh love this dish, especially during Ramadan.
5. Chicken Sahi Roast
This is a unique roasting method, made using special techniques. This is a staple in any wedding ceremony and during Eid. The Eid special Bangla food menu is not complete without this chicken roast dish. The sahi version requires cashew nut paste, poppy seed paste, currants, sour yogurt, and fried onions. This dish can be slightly sweet and spicy, depending on your taste.
6. Chaap or Crispy Fried Meat
Chaap is made with any meat (beef, mutton, or chicken) or even fish, then flattened with a kitchen hammer, marinated in special spices and ingredients, and fried until it is crispy and golden. The process is long, but the taste is out of this world. I can bet you will fall in love with this Bengali food. Rooftop Restaurants usually serve it with naan, the plain stretched (rumali) roti, or with a mayo dip.
7. Chingri Malai Curry or Shrimp Yogurt Curry
The texture, the aroma, and the taste of this curry are finger-licking good. Both kids and adults love it because it melts in the mouth. The thickness of the yogurt gravy, its spiciness, and its sweetness complement the shrimps perfectly. It is typically served with rice.
8. Rui Macher Kaliya or Rohu Fish Curry
The Bangla food menu features many delicious fish dishes, and one of the most famous is this spicy tomato-onion gravy fish curry, which tastes very good. The fish is first marinated and then fried in mustard oil. Then the gravy is made with all the spices and ginger-garlic paste. When the gravy comes to a boil, the fried fish is added. If you love eating fish, you will love this recipe.
9. Shorshe Ilish or Hilsa Fish Curry in Mustard Gravy
This is one of the classic dishes on the Bangla menu because Hilsa is Bangladesh’s national fish, and its aroma, texture, and taste are to die for! The traditional Mustard gravy is made by pasting it in the mortar and pestle using your hands. But in modern times, people often do the gravy in the blender. Regardless, the mortal pastel tastes more authentic. Another variation of this dish is Hilsa fish Paturi, a steamed wrap that uses the same spices and herbs, wraps the fish in pumpkin or bottle gourd leaves, and steams.
10. Khichuri or Lentil Rice
Khichuri is one of the most popular Bengali dishes among Bangladeshi foods, thanks to its simplicity and divine taste. This is a simple one-pot lentil-rice dish that sometimes includes vegetables. Mustard oil is typically used. To fragment the rice, cardamom, bay leaf, and cinnamon are used. There are two primary varieties of this dish, so one can make it very sticky or very dry, depending on one’s taste. People enjoy it during rainy days, for breakfast and lunch.
11. Kebab
Kebab in Bangladesh has a special place. You will find many variations of kebab both in the street joints and in fancy restaurants. Beef kebab alone has many variations, such as chapli kebab, jali kebab, sahi kebab, etc. Mutton kebab, chicken kebab, egg kebab, and legume kebab are also very famous. People enjoy it with a salad made of cucumber, tomato, and onion. Sometimes with naan, porota roti, or even buns. Another popular form of kebab is Shik kebab, where the meat is cut into small chunks and marinated for 24 hours. Then plucked into steel skewers and then cooked over burning charcoal. Shik kebab is typically served with naan or roti.
12. Chotpoti/Fuchka
These are two different dishes: chotpoti is a dried yellow pea stew with many toppings, like nachos, grated eggs, grated boiled potatoes, chopped onion, cucumber, coriander, and tamarind sauce. By adding so many toppings, the dish is elevated. People love it, and it is a staple street food around the country. Fuchka is a cracker with a pocket inside. The mashed yellow pea mixture is used as a filling, and then the tamarind sauce is added on top before devouring it. Both are very famous and utterly delicious.
13. Chola Vuna or Chickpea Curry
This dish is quite similar to Indian Chole, and the same dish can be found in Pakistani cuisine too. In Bangla cuisine, the same dish is spicier, with green chilies, red chili powder, and pepper. People can adjust the spice level to their taste, but in general, Bangladeshi food is spicier. This is a thick chickpea curry with mashed potatoes. Sliced onion, chopped coriander, chopped cucumber, and lemon juice are added before serving to increase the flavor. Bengali loves it, especially during Ramadan.
14. Naan and Chicken Grill
Bengalis love their meat and their roti. Naan is a type of roti that is made with egg, butter, ghee, yeast, milk, and all-purpose flour. Sometimes different flavors like garlic, cheese, and chilies are added. The chicken grill is another top pick, served with naan. It is not merely a snack or an appetizer for Bengalis. People have it for dinner and to celebrate special occasions. The marination and slow-cooking of the chicken on the grill make it mouth-watering.
15. Patishapta Pitha or Rice tortilla Wrap with a Filling
Bangladeshi cuisine offers many pithas, or sweet dishes, available throughout the year, especially during winter, and everyone makes them at home. They are also available in the food courts. This dish has a filling made from full-fat milk, ghee, molasses, semolina, and grated coconut. The outer tortilla is made with rice flour. The process of making this sweet dish is very creative yet simple.
16. Narikeler Naru or Coconut Balls
In Bangladesh, many districts harvest coconuts in large quantities. Due to mass production, these places are always filled with many coconut-based dishes, such as this sweet treat, “coconut balls”. People enjoy it during special occasions and sometimes to satisfy their sweet tooth. It is very easy to make; all you need is shredded coconut, sugar, ghee, and cardamom powder.
17. Borhani and Lassi
These two beverages are staples on the Bangla food menu during the summer. Bangladesh is a hot country, so people here enjoy these cool drinks year-round. Lassi is traditionally made with sour yogurt, a pinch of salt, added sugar, some milk, and ice cubes. People make variations by adding fruits like mango and banana, saffron, or even peanuts. Borhani is a sour yogurt-based drink that also contains peppermint leaves, mint leaves, green chilies, salt, rock salt, mustard paste, lemon juice, black pepper, cumin, and sugar. No wedding in Bangladesh is complete without Borhani.
18. Roshmalai or Sweets in Milk
Roshmalai has to be the number one pick for any sweet lover in Bangladesh. The sweets are made with pure fresh cottage cheese. It is dropped into the sugar syrup, and then a thick milk gravy is made to add the sugary sweet balls. It melts in your mouth, and, traditionally, it is not too sweet.
19. Roshgolla or Cottage Cheese Sweet Balls in Sugar Syrup
This is another delicious sweet treat made from cottage cheese. A little cornflour and sugar are added to make the sweet balls, and then they are dropped into a hot, sugary syrup, which is again flavored with cardamom and cinnamon. It is very light and soft, and the sugar syrup is not too sweet.
20. Jorda or Sweet Saffron Rice
Jorda is another wedding dessert that is made with saffron, rice, sugar syrup, currants, and nuts. It is the perfect dessert for a wedding and is commonly served at any ceremony. Restaurants across the country sell mini cups of this dessert year-round.
21. Payesh or Rice Pudding
Payesh, or rice pudding, is another Bengali dish everyone loves, and they have to have it at any special occasion. If there is some good news, people tend to make rice pudding at home to celebrate the fortunes of life. The texture is thick and creamy, and it needs only three ingredients: rice, milk, and sugar.
22. Doi or Yogurt
This is a dessert that is always on the Bangla food menu when you eat something rich, like Naan with chicken grill, Biryani, or Polau. To help digest the food better, they eat doi. In Bangladeshi Foods, you will find a variety of yogurt-like sweet yogurt, sour yogurt, mango yogurt, molasses yogurt, etc.
23. Jilapi
Jilapi is a sweet dessert made from rice flour and chickpea flour, then soaked in a sugar syrup. You will find cottage cheese special jilapi in Bangladesh too.
24. Tea
Bangladesh is a land of tea, where you will find many variations of it. There are numerous tea stalls on every corner of every city. The morning does not start unless you have your tea here! There are tulsi tea, malta tea, ginger tea, tamarind tea, chili tea, lemon tea, green tea, milk tea, malai tea, etc.
25. Shutki or Dried Fish
Another essential ingredient in Bangladeshi foods is Shutki, or dried fish. Some make their own dried fish at home, while most buy it from local shops. The ingredient is very versatile, and many dishes can be made using it. The most famous are mashed dried fish, dried fish with spinach, and dried fish with vegetable stew.
