Bengali food is symbolized by rice and fish. It is a coastal cuisine which has the most rains that occur in Monsoon India. The other characteristic of its cuisine is the use of coconut, mustard oil instead of ghee or peanut or coconut oil and its famous Panchpuran. It also has many sweet and sour dishes.

Tomato Chutney: Chutneys tempered with panch poran add a flavor to every Bengali lunch. Ingredients- 1 lb. tomatoes, cut in eight. 1/2 teaspoon of ginger cut into strips . 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or chopped green chill. 1 tablespoon raisins, soaked and cleaned in water. 1 tsp. teaspoon panch phoron . 2 teaspoon mustard oil . salt and sugar to taste . Method: Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add panch phoron to hot oil and fry till spluttering stops. Add chopped tomatoes. Stir well. Add salt, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove cover. Add ginger strips, chopped chili and raisins. Add 2-3 tablespoons sugar and a cup of water. Continue simmering until tomato chutney thickens and is cooked. Serve warm or cold. Aloo Posto - Poatoes Bengali Style. Ingredients: 1-2 tbsp mustard oil. 1kg/2lb potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm/½in cubes. ½ tsp dried turmeric. ½ tsp red chilli powder. salt to taste. For the tempering - 1 tsp vegetable oil. 2 tsp five spice mix (panchphoran) . 1 green chilli finely chopped . 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped . Method : 1. In a wide non-stick pan, heat the oil to a medium-high heat and add the potatoes. 2. Sauté the potatoes until they are nearly cooked. Add the turmeric, chilli powder and salt and fry until they are cooked through. 3. In a separate small shallow frying pan heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Mix together the five spice mix ingredients, and add two teaspoons to the hot pan. The seeds will crackle and pop, so be careful when handling the mixture. Add the green chillies and the chopped coriander and stir for a few seconds. Pour this mixture onto the cooked potatoes. 4. Serve immediately.