The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Bangladeshi Foods. If you manage to be in an Bangladeshi restaurant or you are visiting Bangladesh, I recommend the following:
1. Grilled Chicken with Naan Roti
You can find delicious grilled chicken on almost every street. The chicken is marinated in spices and then grilled. The chicken is very juicy on the inside, but on the outside it is crispy and flavorful. Grilled chicken is usually served with naan roti (baked unleavened bread), mayonnaise and a simple salad.
2. Haleem
It is basically a spicy lentil soup that is very popular in Bangladesh. It is made from wheat, barley, meat (usually ground beef or mutton), various types of lentils, spices and sometimes rice. Coriander leaves, lemon slices, chopped ginger and green chilies are used to garnish the dish once served. In Bangladesh it is sometimes served with naan or any kind of bread.
3. Sheek Kabab
Seekh Kabab are cubes of beef or lamb marinated in spices for a long time, skewered and grilled. The main trick to seekh kabab is the method and time of marinating. Soak for 3 hours to 2 days. Seekh kabab is served with naan roti and a simple salad. It is another popular late night snack, mainly available in restaurants after 05:00 pm.
4. Bhuna Khichuri
It means rice or lentils mixed with spices, fried or charred. It is the richer version of ancient khichuri. Bhuna means stew, so this dish is simmered to infuse flavor and spices rather than letting everything cook together over time. The beautiful aroma during cooking cannot be ignored.
5. Fuchka
Fuchka is the most popular street food in Bangladesh and is mainly served at night. It has a unique spicy, sour and crunchy taste. It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried to a crisp and stuffed with a mixture of flavored water, tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potatoes, onions and chickpeas. Used, the water is sour and spicy, but more sour than sweet.
6. Morog Polao (Chicken Pilaf)
Morog Polao is a very rich and tasty complete meal of chicken and rice cooked with spices, yogurt and clarified butter (ghee). It is not spicy and the flavor of the light chicken is delicious. It contains a lot of chicken, making it an irresistible dish for meat lovers. It is usually served on special occasions with a traditional yogurt drink called Borhani.
7. Paratha
Bangladeshi unfermented flatbread made by baking wheat flour dough in a frying pan and finishing it with a light roast. It is the most popular breakfast food in Bangladeshi restaurants and is usually eaten with vaji (mixed vegetables) or lentils or a mixture of both or fried eggs. It is usually served with tea at breakfast.
8. Doi Chira
Doi Chira is an authentic Bangladeshi dish. In this dish, flat rice or chira is soaked in water for several hours and mixed with sweet yogurt, sugar, bananas or other sweet fruits. This recipe is comfort food that everyone can enjoy. Try Bangladeshi cuisine once during your stay.
9. Rasmalai
This Bangladeshi dessert is a flattened cheese ball soaked in malai (clotted cream) flavored with cardamom. Rasmalai is available in all candy stores in Bangladesh. The most famous in Bangladesh is Raasmalai from a candy store in Comilla called “Matri Bhandar”; “Alibaba Sweets” in Dhaka also makes good quality Rasmalai.
10. Misti Doi (Sweet Yogurt)
A low-fat and healthy dessert. No Bengali occasion is complete without sweet yogurt and sweets. It tastes like thick, creamy cheesecake instead of plain yogurt. The milk is boiled to a slightly thick consistency, sweetened with sugar or brown sugar and left to ferment overnight. Sweet yogurt is sold mainly in confectioneries, but is also available in restaurants.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Asian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.