The age-old city Varanasi, situated on the banks of the river Ganga, is the most religious of the seven holy cities in Hindu mythology. Varanasi’s attraction goes further to its historical and mythological places, bringing in a big crowd of tourists to discover its rich culinary view. Among the different culinary treasures, the top Bengali restaurants in Varanasi offer a huge variety of dishes that are a testimony to the unique aroma of Bengali dishes. Join us as we take you on a savoury food journey, discovering every delicious dish that the state has to offer.
Different Delicious Bengali Dishes to Enjoy at Restaurants in Varanasi
Here are a few scrumptious dishes from the Bengali cuisine you can enjoy in Varanasi:
1. Goalondo Chicken Curry
Goalondo chicken curry is the most basic boatman-style chicken curry. The key component or ingredient in this appetising curry is mustard oil, which offers this dish a distinctive flavour. The recipe of this truly delectable dish varies with the availability of the real ingredients. It is a simple yet flavoursome curry that needs minimum ingredients to be prepared and is readily served by the best Bengali restaurants in Varanasi.
2. Mochar Ghonto
Mochar Ghonto is a signature delicacy of Bengal and one of the most liked veg conventional Bengali food. Mocha is also known as Banana blossom or Banana flower. Mochar Ghonto is a Bengali potpourri made using Banana flowers. To prepare this dish, boiled banana flowers (mocha) are cooked using some particular spices with potato chunks and grated coconut. This aromatic dry curry makes a good combination with plain rice. You can enjoy this dish in various Bengali restaurants in Varanasi, and it completes the menu card for each restaurant.
3. Macher Matha Diye Dal
Let your taste buds enhance with this lip-smacking conventional Bengali dish, Macher Matha Diye Dal. This delicacy of Bengal involves exceptional flavour, which is produced using Moong Dal and the head part of a fish. Prepared to perfection, it is a dish that will spruce up your taste buds and make your stomach feel satisfied. The mix of the affluent flavours in this dish is completely divine—just have a single bite, and you will be hooked. Only you have to visit any Bengali restaurant in Varanasi, and you are good to go with Macher Matha Diye Dal.
4. Posto Bora
Posto Bora, also known as Poppy Seed Fritter, is a normal Bengali munchie or fritter cooked using poppyseed paste. It is enjoyed as an evening snack with a cup of tea. Crispy outside and soft inside, it is filled with poppy seed paste and enhanced with green chilli, which makes it a great treat. Due to its easy availability, this dish is very popular all over Bengal and Varanasi.
5. Macher Dimer Bora
Macher Dimer Bora is a very popular Bengali-style fritter, or Pakoda, or Bora, prepared with fresh fish roe. Fresh roe from either Rui Mach or Katla is normally employed to make this fried dish. It can be offered as a snack or as a supplement to Dal and can even be used to make side dishes. Now, you can eat this savoury dish in various Bengali restaurants in Varanasi whenever you visit the city.
6. Daab Chingri
Daab Chingri is a delicious Bengali prawn curry prepared and served using a green coconut shell. The internal ingredients include big prawns, ghee, butter or mustard oil, turmeric powder, onions, garlic paste, chopped green chilli, ginger paste, and different spices. In combination, these ingredients provide a unique taste to this dish and make it more delectable and spicy.
7. Murgir Jhol with Potato
Murgir Jhol, also known as Bengali Chicken Curry. It is a tasty, spicy, and mushy chicken curry made using potatoes, which are enhanced with flavourful whole spices. Murgir Jhol with potato is a quick and simple Sunday special recipe of Bengal, which is best enjoyed with piping hot rice and a lime squeeze.
8. Pui Shaker Chorchori
Pui Shaker Chorchori is essentially a partly dry Bengali curry, which is a mix of vegetables cooked slowly using a little bit of spices. Pui Shaker Chorchori cooks very quickly, just the same as regular spinach. This kind of spinach is loaded with Vitamin A, Iron, Vitamin C, and calcium but is rich in protein per calorie. It is also one of the best sources of phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. It is amazing on its own but goes well with fish and vegetables, too.
9. Dhokar Dalna
Dhokar Dalna is a well-known Bengali dish prepared with lentil cakes made in a tasty curry. It is an exclusive and tasty veg dish that is usually enjoyed with rice or roti. The drowned or soaked Bengal gram is mixed well with spices, roasted dry into a paste, then cut into small pieces and fried, which is called dhokar. The use of these sauteed lentil cakes offers this dish a unique flavour. It can also be eaten as a snack with tea or can be mixed with dalna (a kind of savoury gingery sauce).
Also, it is essential to know that this specific dish is normally made without garlic or onion, which is somewhat divergent from Bengali cuisine. However, the lack of these ingredients does not reduce the dish’s flavour in any way. Indeed, it adds to its specific taste.
Conclusion
These are some of the best Bengali dishes served by the top Bengali restaurants in Varanasi, which will definitely make your culinary experience unforgettable. So, whenever you plan a trip to Varanasi, ensure that you have a dish from the above list and relish it at the finest eatery in the city. Also, you can enjoy these dishes from the comfort of your place during the trip by ordering online at Swiggy. Swiggy is an online platform for food ordering and delivering, which offers dishes directly to your doorstep, and that too with huge discounts.