Bangladeshi food: a plain guide to the cuisine

Bangladeshi food is the cuisine of Bangladesh, built around rice, river fish, lentils and thick bhuna curries, seasoned with mustard oil, green chilli and fresh herbs. It also has a rich tradition of street snacks, rice cakes and milk sweets.

What is Bangladeshi food?

Bangladeshi food is the cooking of Bangladesh, a delta country where rivers shape what grows and what is caught. Rice and fish are the foundation, and nearly every meal has rice at the centre.

The cuisine is closely related to the cooking of West Bengal in India, since Bengal was one region before the partition of 1947. Shared dishes include dal, fish curries, khichuri and many sweets. Differences show up in the way each side treats certain dishes, such as beef bhuna and rich biryanis, which are more prominent in Bangladeshi menus.

What does a Bangladeshi meal look like?

A Bangladeshi meal usually centres on a plate of rice with several dishes around it: dal, a vegetable dish, a fish or meat curry, mashed sides called borta and a pickle or chutney. These are shared and eaten together with the hands or a spoon.

Bread is less central than in northern India but it is eaten, including roti, paratha and luchi. Rice is the default.

Which spices and ingredients are typical?

Typical Bangladeshi ingredients include mustard oil, turmeric, cumin, coriander, green chilli, panch phoron, onion, garlic, ginger and tamarind. Fresh herbs, shallots and lime are also widely used.

• Mustard oil: both for frying and as a raw seasoning in borta and salads.
• Green chilli: used whole, sliced or crushed, often raw at the table.
• Panch phoron: the Bengali five seed mix of fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard and fennel.
• Shatkhora: a citrus fruit from the Sylhet area used to flavour meat and fish dishes. Its sharp, sour fragrance is unusual outside Bangladesh.
• Naga chilli: a very hot pepper known in Bangladesh and north eastern India, used in pickles and sauces.

What are the best known Bangladeshi dishes?

The best known Bangladeshi dishes include hilsa fish curry, beef bhuna, kacchi biryani, khichuri, dal, shorshe (mustard) fish and mashed borta sides. Street snacks such as fuchka and jhal muri are also widely known.

1. Ilish (hilsa) preparations: the national fish, cooked in mustard sauce or steamed.
2. Beef bhuna: a dry, thick, spiced beef curry.
3. Kacchi biryani: a biryani in which marinated raw meat is layered with rice and cooked together.
4. Khichuri: rice and lentils cooked to a porridge, often eaten in rain or at festivals.
5. Borta: mashed vegetables, fish or egg with onion, chilli and mustard oil.
6. Pitha: rice flour cakes with sweet or savoury fillings.

What is Bangladeshi street food?

Bangladeshi street food is sold in small portions and combines crunch, sourness and heat. Fuchka, jhal muri, chotpoti, singara, piyaju and various fritters are the standard snacks.

Fuchka are crisp hollow shells filled with spiced chickpeas or potato and dipped in tamarind water. Jhal muri is puffed rice tossed with onion, chilli, mustard oil and lime. Chotpoti is a yellow pea and potato dish in tamarind sauce, often topped with egg. Many of these appear in other South Asian forms, which is why they are sometimes confused with chaat from India.

How is Bangladeshi food linked to British curry?

Many curry houses in the United Kingdom were opened from the 1950s onward by cooks from Sylhet in Bangladesh, which is why a large share of British curry house cooking is, in effect, Bangladeshi cooking adapted to local tastes. The oft-quoted figure that most British Indian restaurants are Bangladeshi owned is widely repeated but varies by source, so it is safest to say a large share.

Dishes that grew on British menus, such as bhuna, korma and madras, are adaptations rather than home dishes in Bangladesh. Home style Bangladeshi cooking tends to be simpler and more focused on fish, mustard and rice.

How does Bangladeshi cooking vary by region?

Bangladeshi cooking varies by region, with Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet each known for particular dishes. The differences show up in meat dishes, citrus flavours and the heat level.

• Dhaka: old Dhaka is known for rich biryani, kebabs, bakarkhani bread and sweets sold in long established shops.
• Chittagong: known for mezban, a feast style beef curry cooked in very large pots at celebrations, and for plenty of dried and fresh sea fish.
• Sylhet: known for shatkhora, a thick skinned citrus, for hot chilli use including naga, and for the cooks who later opened many British curry houses.
• Barisal and the south: river and coastal fish dominate, with coconut used more often.

These are broad patterns rather than rules, and families cook what their own parents cooked.

What are Bangladeshi sweets and drinks?

Bangladeshi sweets, called mishti, are made from milk, sugar, jaggery and rice, and tea is the everyday drink. Sweets are served at weddings, festivals and at the end of a meal.

Tea, often boiled with milk and sugar, is the usual drink. Bangla tea is a sweet, spiced milk tea. Layered seven colour tea from Sreemangal in the Sylhet region is a well known regional curiosity.

Where does Dhoompan fit?

Dhoompan is a Bangladeshi street food and tandoor restaurant in Tooting Bec, London, at 47 Trinity Road. It is described by London Curry Blog as a tribute to Bangladeshi contributions to British curry.

The recorded menu in the guide’s notes lists Bangladeshi street snacks, including Jhal Muri, Chot Poti and Far Far, along with Khala Bhuna (beef slow-cooked in aromatic spices) and Dhail (lentil curry). Bengali sides such as Borta/Satnis, Shadda Bhaat (plain basmati rice) and Phulau (spiced rice) are also listed. Alongside them are clay oven items such as Tandoor King Lamb and Tandoor King Chicken.

See the menu page for the full list as recorded and the FAQ for answers on halal sourcing and drinks. Always confirm dishes and prices with the restaurant.

How do you order Bangladeshi food for the first time?

Choose a mix of one snack, one curry, one lentil or vegetable dish and rice. This follows the shape of a Bangladeshi meal and gives a range of flavours.

• Pick one sharp snack such as fuchka or jhal muri.
• Choose one rich main, for example a beef bhuna.
• Add dal or vegetables for contrast.
• Order plain rice or naan to carry the sauce.
• Finish with a sweet such as kheer or mishti dhoi.

Ask the staff about spice levels and allergens, since mustard, nuts and dairy are common.

Common questions

This page is part of the independent guide to Dhoompan, which has the address, hours and menu.

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Dhoompan itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.