Deshi Mix | The Daily Star

  • Paanta Bhaat

    A meal of leftover rice soaked in water overnight. Sounds familiar? Rice has been the staple food in many parts of the world, including Bangladesh, for so many years. In Bangladesh, paanta bhaat plays a huge part in the festivities of Pahela Baishakh.

  • Spring greens

    Spring is here! The days are getting longer, the air is getting fresher, and everyone seems to be in a good mood. This changing of the season marks a time for all things to come alive and experience renewal.

  • Poush Sankranti

    In Bangladesh, festivals arrive one after the other to keep us cheerful and active. Poush Sankranti is the spring festival, enjoyed with lots of outdoor activities that keep us close to nature and remind us of how closely we are bonded with our environment.

  • Winter pitha

    In Bangladesh, winter is the season for 'pitha-puli.' We have hundreds of different pithas. Some are associated with the harvest (Nabanna) in winter, while others are prepared on grand and festive occasions like weddings...

  • A dessert trail

    While Bangladeshi desserts and sweets are predominantly served at the end of a meal, some cultures believe in serving sweets at the beginning, and then there are cultures that lack the concept of desserts completely — some just like to top off with light fruits, instead of rich sweets.

  • Jamai khatir

    It has been socially the role of a new mother-in-law to appease her new son-in-law, and as they say — the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, much of which is attempted through lavish dinners, special dishes, and everything associated.

  • Welcome drinks for wedding guests

    Drinks are an important part of any wedding, be it the wedding reception drink, welcome drink upon arrival, or drink with the meal. In our country, wedding drinks are mostly non-alcoholic.

  • A paan you cannot do without

    The betel leaf has a long standing history with our culture. One simply cannot forget the image of elderly grandmothers, their lips reddened by the betel leaf, always chewed while narrating stories on winter evenings.

  • Not so ordinary cooking with spices

    Saffron is one of the most sought after spices in the world. The threadlike ingredient that imparts a yellow hue are quite literally, imbibed in myths and legends.

  • Durga's sweet bounty

    These nine days across the world are charged with spiritual fervour as it is a time for worship, festivities, fasting and spiritual enhancement. The nine days of fasting and prayers culminate in Bijaya Dashami or Dussehra, the tenth day, which marks the victory of good over evil.

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