Key ingredient:
Mustard oil is the signature fat of Bengali cuisine — always heat it until it smokes lightly first to remove rawness, then let it cool slightly before adding spices.
Panch phoron (five-spice blend: cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek, nigella seeds in equal parts) is the base tempering for most vegetarian dishes.
A Bengali meal traditionally follows a sequence: bitter (shukto) → dal → vegetable → fish/meat → chutney → sweet (mishti).
'Koshano' (slow-frying spices until oil separates) is the technique behind most of the deep, rich flavor in Bengali curries — patience here matters more than heat.
Fish is almost always marinated with turmeric and salt, then lightly fried before being added to any curry.