Hyderabad|India|November'2009: To satiate Hyderabadis love for cuisine from different corners of India, Taj Banjara is hosting Bengali food festival at Waterside Café, the 24-hour coffee shop, from November 6 to November 15, 2009.

The cuisine is well-known for a variety of rice and fresh water fish preparations. Fish is the dominant in Bengali cuisine. Salt water fish Ilish is very popular among Bengalis that can be called an icon of Bengali cuisine. Khashi (the meat of sterilized goats) is the most popular red meat for the Bengalis. The main traditional ingredients of Bengali cuisine include rice, moshur đal (red lentils), mug đal (mung beans), shorsher tel (mustard oil), mustard paste, posto (poppyseed) and narkel (ripe coconut).

Sweets also occupy an important place in Bengali cuisine and at their social ceremonies. The sweets are generally made of sweetened cottage cheese (chhena), khoa (reduced solidified milk), or flours of different cereals and pulses.

The food festival will offer buffet lunch and dinner with different menu for all ten days. The main attraction of the festival would be Hilsa fish, which is specially flown in from Kolkata. Other delicacies to relish are Maacher sores jhol, Mangshor gota moshla, Murgi malai, Dimer curry, Maacher cutlet curry, Elish maacher kalia, Mangshor dopiaza, Murgi gota moshla, Chloar dal, Shukto, Alu potoler kalia, Begun sores, Chhanar dalna, Aam jhol, Ghugni, Sheem begun Chorchori, Potoler dia phool kopi and Jhal moori (masala puffed rice).

For the sweet tooth, the festival offers a range of Mistis like Sandesh, Misti doi, Rasogolla, Chena payas, Sita bhog, Chamcham, Lacha rabadi, Kheer mohan and Payas.

Reachout's News Bureau
November' 2009