Poila Boisakh 2026: Savoury

Bengali Dishes

To Try On Bengali New Year

Luchi

Luchi is a festive and indulgent favourite in Bengali homes. The deep-fried pooris made with refined wheat flour (maida) are best served hot off the bubbling, oil-filled kadhai. With phulko luchi (puffed poori), you can pair almost anything, be it a vegetarian side dish or a non-vegetarian one.

Ingredients

• Maida: 3 cups

• Atta (optional): ½ cup (if mixing with maida)

• Salt: a pinch

• Oil or Ghee: 2.5 tbsp

• Warm water: as needed (to knead soft dough)

• Oil (for frying): enough for deep frying

Method

• Take flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre, and add oil and salt. Gradually add water while mixing, then knead into a soft, smooth, non-sticky dough. 

• Cover and rest the dough, then divide it into small balls and roll each into 4-5-inch circles using a little oil instead of flour.

• Heat oil in a kadhai until hot but not smoking, and test it with a small piece to check for bubbles. 

• Slide in the rolled dough, gently press so it puffs up, then flip and fry briefly before removing with a slotted spoon.

Aloor Dum

Bengali-style aloor dum is a slow-cooked dish, made with baby potatoes. Here, the potatoes are first boiled and peeled, and then simmered in a spiced gravy. The word ‘dum’ refers to slow cooking, on low heat. It is one of the most popular vegetarian dishes in Bengali cuisine during Poila Boisakh.

Ingredients

• Small potatoes: 12-14

• Bay leaves: 2

• Hing: ¼ tsp

• Onion paste: 1 tbsp

• Tomato: 1 small

• Ginger paste: 1 tsp

• Cumin powder: 1 tsp

• Garam masala: ½ tsp

• Red chilli powder: ½ tsp

• Yoghurt: 2 tsp

• Sugar: 1 tsp (optional)

• Salt: to taste

• Ghee: 1 tsp (optional)

• Oil: as needed

• Fresh coriander: for garnish

Method

• Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, then cool and peel. 

• Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves and hing, then fry the onion paste with a little sugar until light brown. Add tomato and cook until soft, then mix in ginger paste.

• Mix cumin powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, and yoghurt, then add this mixture to low heat and cook until the oil separates. Add ghee (optional), then add the boiled potatoes and mix well. 

• Fry until lightly golden, then add a little water and salt and cook until the liquid reduces and the potatoes are coated in a thick masala. 

• Garnish with coriander and serve.

Cholar Dal

Another iconic pairing for luchi is cholar dal, which is niramish or vegetarian. It is made with chana dal and is usually a part of Poila Boisakh food. What seems like a simple dal uses a combination of many spices, which makes for an irresistible side dish. 

Ingredients

• Chhola dal: 1 cup

• Coconut (thinly sliced): 2 tbsp

• Raisins: 2 tbsp

• Mustard oil: 1½ tbsp

• Cinnamon: 1 small piece

• Cardamom: 5

• Cloves: 3

• Bay leaves: 4

• Dried red chillies: 2

• Cumin seeds: ½ tsp

• Hing: ¼ tsp

• Ginger paste: 2 tbsp

• Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

• Coriander powder: ½ tsp

• Cumin powder: 1 tsp

• Green chillies (slit): 6

• Bengali garam masala: ¼ tsp

• Ghee: 1 tsp

• Salt: 1 tbsp (adjust to taste)

• Sugar: 1½ tbsp

• Water: 3 cups

Method

• Soak chhola dal for 2 hours, then boil it with water, salt, and bay leaves until tender but intact. 

• Mix ginger paste, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and water into a spice slurry.

• Heat mustard oil until smoking, fry coconut until golden and remove it, then temper the same oil with dried red chillies, whole spices, cumin seeds, and hing.

• Add the spice slurry and cook until the raw smell disappears and the oil separates.

• Add green chillies and raisins, then add boiled dal with its liquid and simmer until thick. Mash a green chilli into the dal, add sugar, and finish with ghee, garam masala, and fried coconut before resting briefly.

Beguni

Not to be confused with begun bhaja, which is just sliced brinjal rubbed with turmeric and salt and shallow fried. Beguni are brinjal fritters, made with thin slices of brinjal cut lengthwise, dipped in a batter and deep-fried into telebhaja. It is a popular addition to elaborate Bengali spreads for Poila Boisakh. 

Ingredients

• Besan (gram flour): ¾ cup

• Rice flour: 2 tbsp

• Salt: ¾ tsp

• Sugar: 1 tsp

• Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

• Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp

• Water: ½ cup

• Brinjal: 1 medium (about 12 thin slices)

• Salt (for brinjal): ½ tsp

• Sugar (for brinjal): ½ tsp

• Mustard oil: for deep frying

• Black salt: for seasoning

Method

• Sift besan, rice flour, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chilli powder into a bowl, then add water and whisk into a smooth, lump-free batter.

• Slice the brinjal lengthwise into thin, even pieces about 3 mm thick. Sprinkle with salt and sugar, then let it rest in a strainer so moisture is drawn out. Dab the slices dry with tissue to remove excess water.

• Heat mustard oil in a kadhai until it smokes lightly and loses its raw smell. Dip each brinjal slice into the batter, shake off excess, and gently slide it into the hot oil. Fry on medium heat, flipping once, until golden and crisp.

• Remove from oil and serve hot with a sprinkle of black salt.

Basanti Pulao 

Basanti pulao, also known as mishti pulao, is a yellow-tinted sweet pulao made with the fragrant gobindabhog rice, which is ghee-roasted. It’s made during special occasions like Durga Puja and Poila Boisakh and served alongside kosha mangsho.

Ingredients 

• Gobindabhog Rice: 1 cup (soaked 30 minutes)

• Ghee: 1 tbsp

• Oil: 2 tbsp

• Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

• Garam masala: ½ tsp

• Ginger paste: 1 tsp

• Bay leaf: 1

• Cardamom: 4 pods

• Cloves: 5

• Cinnamon: 1 inch piece

• Cashews: 2 tbsp

• Raisins: 2 tbsp

• Green chillies (slit): 6

• Sugar: ¼ cup

• Salt: ¾ tsp

• Water: 2 cups

Method

• Soak the rice for 30 minutes, drain it, and mix it gently with ginger paste, turmeric powder, garam masala, and a little ghee.

• Heat oil and ghee in a pan, then add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cashews, and raisins, and sauté until the cashews turn lightly golden.

• Add the soaked rice and stir gently for a couple of minutes without breaking the grains.

• Pour in water and salt, cover, and cook on low heat until the rice is about half done.

• Add slit green chillies and sugar, then cover again and cook until the rice is fully done and fluffy.

• Rest for a few minutes before serving with kosha mangsho.

Kosha Mangsho 

Before the mutton hits the gravy, what Bengalis like to do is make ‘kosha’ or rather, cook the mutton in all the masalas and aromatics. So what you get are spicy and flavour-concentrated cooked mutton pieces that are simply mouth-watering. 

Ingredients

• Mutton: 1 kg

• Onion (for marinade): ½ cup (finely chopped or paste)

• Garlic (for marinade): 1 tbsp

• Yoghurt: ½ cup

• Salt: 2½ tsp

• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

• Shahi garam masala: 1 tsp

• Mustard oil: 1½ tbsp

• Cinnamon: 1 small stick (2-3 inches)

• Green cardamom: 10 pods

• Black cardamom: 1

• Cloves: 10

• Dried red chillies: 4

• Bay leaves: 6

• Onions (sliced): 3 cups

• Ginger paste: 2½ tbsp

• Garlic: 2 tsp

• Green chillies: 6-8 (or to taste)

• Coriander powder: 1 tsp

• Cumin powder: 1 tsp

• Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tsp

• Yoghurt (for cooking): 1 cup

• Salt (for cooking): 1½ tsp (adjust to taste)

• Sugar: 2 tsp

• Hot water: 4 cups (as needed)

• Ghee: 1 tsp

Method

• Marinate the mutton with onion, garlic, yoghurt, salt, turmeric, and shahi garam masala, then refrigerate for several hours.

• Heat mustard oil until smoking, then add whole spices and dried red chillies, followed by sliced onions, and fry until golden brown. Add ginger, garlic, and green chillies and cook until the mixture deepens in colour.

• Add coriander powder, cumin powder, and Kashmiri chilli powder, then cook until the spices are well roasted and oil begins to separate. Add the marinated mutton and fry on high heat until it dries slightly.

• Add yoghurt, salt, and sugar, then continue cooking until the mixture reduces and starts caramelising again.

• Lower the heat and cook slowly for 75-90 minutes, adding hot water gradually and stirring occasionally until the meat becomes tender and the gravy turns thick and dark.

• Finish with ghee, rest briefly, and serve hot.

Savoury Spread of Poila Boisakh

The Bengali New Year always has these staples if you visit any Bengali restaurant or ask a local Bengali for food recommendations. Aside from these special fish preparations like shorshe iilish, papda maach er jhal, chingri malai curry are something to look forward to, especially if you love your seafood. So, this Poila Boisakh, relish these Bengali classics.