Wash the sesame seeds and blend to make a paste. Mix all the ingredients except the oil. Now make small balls from the mixture. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the bora on medium low heat till it turns light brown and crisp. Remove from oil and serve hot.

Every get-together in our region, calls for some scrumptious food and a steaming cup of hot tea to go along. With Pahela Baishakh just crossed off the calendar, we are still appeasing ourselves with the deshi flavours and so a typical adda at this time would mean bringing over food that is home-cooked and culturally inspired.

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.

This is a great summer drink from Bengal, and with its wonderful taste, provides a much-needed coolness to your body.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Spice up your taste buds with healthy spices in your diet. According to the International Organisation for Standardisation, there is no clear-cut division between spices and condiments.

However you decide on plating the many types by PRAN Achar, this very element should prove to the rest of the world the very eloquence and finesse of our gastronomical mastery.

It is believed that Mughals were the first to introduce biryani in North India, whereas South India was exposed to its brilliance through the Arabs.

So here are a few dishes, using Rupchanda Lessorb Soyabean oil, that are sure to catch the foodies-in-waiting's fancy.

It's among the most divisive of food in the history of nutrition, although people have been eating it throughout history, many believe it to be harmful. Mammalian muscle meat including beef, lamb and mutton and veal are classified as red.

This is a great example of nose-to-tail eating. Beef heart is a working muscle, and like any good steak, needs fast cooking over high heat to remain tender. Beef heart kebabs might seem like a recipe for the adventurous, but they are absolutely delicious and not offaly as one might expect, but lean and satisfyingly rich.

However, hunter-gatherers didn't just eat muscle meat. They ate the organs too, such as brains, intestines and even testicles. In fact, the organs were highly prized.