Welcome to my CookBook

Who ?

I am Sandeepa aka Bong Mom, a regular mom aspiring to be the quintessential Mother every Bong has. I live in the US with my two daughters and one husband, referred to as the husband-man.

Why this blog ? (This blog was started in 2006)

Growing up all over West Bengal, and some parts of Bihar, in a Bengali household I learnt one thing, Bengalis love to eat, feed others and cook (at least Bong women do).

That they love to eat and are connoisseurs in this matter is proved by the fact that Kolkata is teeming with all The Madras Tiffins, the Punjabi Dhabas, the Tibetan Delights, the Chinese Chow Chow and the Timbuktu Taverns. No where else in India will you see such a fare. All other regions mostly are focused and stick to their cuisine but Kolkata has it all.

So growing up amongst such a race it’s natural that I love to eat and to make my food dreams into reality have taken to loving cooking my food. I get solace in cooking, the comfort of the spices sputtering in the oil, the waft of the jeera & tejpata as they turn brown, the rich yellow of my musuri’r dal gives me peace, makes me calm and in this far off land makes me connect to my home.
I start this blog as an acknowledgement to my Ma, Dida, mom-in-law and all the mashis-pishis, kakimas-jethimas who fed me well, fed me good all my years in India. This will be a humble collection of Bengali recipes and the food I cook representing Bengali Cuisine as I know it.

I want to pass on my legacy of Bengali food to my two little daughters and all the other little ones out there who growing up in a foreign land will find a way to connect to their Bangla roots through the smell and taste of Bangla cuisine.

This is also for all non-Bongs, to try out and sample the nuances of Bengali Cooking.
Many of my recipes might not be authentic bong and have innovations thrown in, but do go ahead and give them a try. So welcome to my blog and have a feast...

Seriously Why ?

Ummm well...so that my maachher kalia tastes exactly the same every time.
So, that in some remote future I can proudly say, I have made Gokul Pithey, with full proof of picture et al.
So that there is a place for the recipes I gather from all of Bengali motherhood.
So that my daughters' don't grow up believing "paneer butter masala" is India's national food and they appreciate the layers of taste and flavor that Bengali and food from all over India brings.

Then What ?

And then I wrote a book (published by Harper Collins 2013) based on the blog. More about it here: Bong Mom's Cookbook -- the book

Then I wrote a fictional Novel around food published by Harper Collins 2020 - Those Delicious Letters

How old are your daughters ?

BS, the Big Sis is 9 and LS, the little sis is 4 and three quarters. This is as of May, 2013. But age is dynamic. In the book which I started writing way back in 2011, they are 7 and 3 .

This is 2023 and Big Sis is 19 and LS is almost 15!!!

Do you live off the blog ?

Wouldn't that be wonderful ? But nope. I am an engineer by education. I have undergrad degrees in Physics and Electronics Engineering and then a MS in EE.
Sadly I work to fund for that all-clad saucier you see on my blog and the bunch of dhonepata that I put in my food.

But what is this Bengali Cuisine you keep talking about ?

Read this : My article on Bengali Cuisine


I have time to kill. Anything more ?

My interview by Scott Haas in Times Of  India

At Fab Foodies: MasalaMommas

Do you do food writing ?

Well I write for my blog all the time. I have now written a book. I am available for freelance writing, food or otherwise. Contact me for detailed information at sandeepa(dot)blog(at)gmail(dot)com

Best way to get in touch with you ?

E-mail me : My e-mail
Now though I would love to, I am usually not very prompt checking my blog e-mails since I have a real life that demands a lot of attention. So if I am not responding to your comments or replying e-mails please try to understand. I will. Rather late than never.

Best way to connect is on FB messenger or comment

Facebook Page: Facebook Page for Bong Mom's Cookbook
Don't send me a friend request. This is a Page and you can just jump in by hitting "Like"

Wait, who does the photography, design etc. of your blog ?

I have outsourced it to Mars. Just kidding.This blog is solely operated by me. Writing, Photography, Blog Design, Cooking, Recipe Writing -- all by yours truly. What can I say ? I am bit of a control freak and also I enjoy doing all of it.

To browse through recipes in this blog check out the recipe index page at