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A new book shows the many interesting ways Indians eat rice and combine it with other ingredients

Scroll | July 7, 2026 6:39 PM CST

“As much as I taught the culinary craft to Bengal, I learnt a fair bit from the Bengalis in exchange. I always found the Bengalis to be very practical people in their approach to food. I may not agree with their insistence on eating only river fish and shunning the bounty that comes from the sea, but their attention to detail and respect for ingredients has always impressed me.

“To the regular Bengali, and let me be clear about this, Bengali is not a religious differentiation. For me, it is merely the traits of a people confined to a certain geographical location. Anyway, the beauty of these people is that they never let anything go to waste and definitely not a massive fish head that is attached to the large river fish that they seem to be pulling out from the multiple rivers, streams and tiny little lakes that seem to dot their lands. I love their mudhi ghonto, which is considered a really auspicious dish and is usually made for festive occasions. It combines the two ingredients that the Bengalis deem almost sacred – rice and fish.

“To me, it is a lesson in ingenuity and sustenance. This is apart from the fact...