Bengalis love to eat and so food is very important to us. Every occasion in a Bengali family is celebrated with food. And each occasion demands a special kind of food. Whether it’s a wedding or a family celebration, the most important item on the agenda is always the food and the menu. Hours are spent in preparing the best menu for every occasion. A Bengali get-together is never complete if there aren’t many items on the menu.

The dishes in this book include our favourites from my childhood growing up in Kolkata. My mother was an incredible cook with an astonishing repertoire, and she picked up recipes from all over the world. Her specialty, however, was traditional Bengali fare, whether every day food or dishes for every special occasion – weddings, festivals and traditional meals for occasions such as Jamai Shashti.

This collection of nearly 100 recipes,...