Durga Pujo in Bengal is incomplete without the iconic fish fry—crisp, golden, and bursting with nostalgia. Supper club host Toonika Guha shares why this dish embodies the festival’s spirit and her family’s special recipe
Durga Pujo in Bengal is as much about food as it is about devotion, rhythm, and revelry. Among the countless dishes that mark the season, few hold the same nostalgic charm as a perfectly crisp fish fry. Toonika Guha, who runs the Bengali supper club Toontooni’s Table, explains, “Fish and Bengalis are an inseparable combination. It is unfathomable for us to have any special occasion without fish. And while during Navratris many communities choose to eat vegetarian food, Bengalis are the opposite. It is a time of celebration for us as it is believed that Bengal’s favourite divine daughter, Ma Durga, comes to visit her paternal home on earth.”
For Bengalis, Pujo is a time of abundance, when home kitchens, roadside stalls, and restaurants alike brim with indulgences. Toonika draws an interesting parallel: “Speaking intellectually, there is a trope in literature that is known as the ‘carnival’. It represents a time in society when the regular rules are suspended for chaos and fun, where everyone is in a celebratory mood… When you see it from this lens, it’s easy to understand why diets are chucked out of the window, or why you’d find young and old people snacking on all sorts of food during all hours of the day.”
Among these snacks, the fish fry has pride of place. Crisp on the outside, moist within, and always paired with kasundi and chopped onions, it’s a dish that embodies the Pujo spirit—joyful, communal, and deeply rooted in Bengali identity. As Toonika says, “The fish fry is a common snack that you’ll find during this time. It is a ubiquitous dish that you’ll find both at roadside stalls and in fancy restaurants. Here’s the recipe that my family uses.”