Smoke, Rice, Water

Recipes and Stories from a Bengali Home

By Kishwar Chowdhury

In Smoke Rice Water, Kishwar Chowdhury shares 100 recipes from the vibrant, interconnected and culinarily underrepresented region of Bengal.

With warmth and clarity, she invites readers into her suburban Melbourne kitchen to discover traditional techniques, bold flavours and the foodways of more than 200 million people – from street snacks and Mughal court dishes to fish stews, green mango lentils and the cherished sweets of Bengal.

Drawing on her experience as a second-generation migrant, Kishwar brings cultural knowledge, personal history and a fresh perspective to the table, honouring her Bengali heritage while making its recipes accessible and deeply satisfying for modern home cooks.

Not Yet Published
$50.00 RRP
ISBN
9781743799345
Publish date
26 May 2026
Category
Food & Drink
Format
Hardback
Page count
336
Dimensions
240 x 173 mm

About the author

Kishwar Chowdhury is a Melbourne-born cook and MasterChef Australia finalist whose modern, deeply personal approach to Bengali food has resonated with audiences around the world. Passionate about preserving and sharing her heritage, she has collaborated with award-winning restaurants, appeared across various national media platforms, and built a dedicated global following. Through her cooking, Kishwar is redefining how Bengali cuisine is seen — making it more visible, more accessible, and more celebrated than ever before.

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