Food
Bengali food, cooked properly
Food is not an add-on at a Bengali festival — for a lot of people it is the reason they came. Sanhoti cooks in volume, by volunteers, from scratch, and publishes every menu in advance so you know exactly what is being served before you arrive.
The staples
What turns up on our tables
Bengali cooking is regional and specific. These are the dishes that recur across our year.
Khichuri & labra
The bhog pairing. Rice and lentils cooked together with ghee and whole spices, served with a mixed vegetable dish. Eaten at every puja.
Kosha mangsho
Slow-cooked mutton, dark and thick, the definitive Bengali celebration dish. Usually eaten with luchi or pulao.
Ilish (hilsa)
The fish Bengalis are sentimental about. Steamed with mustard, or in a light jhol. Sourcing it in California is its own annual drama.
Luchi & aloor dom
Puffed white-flour bread with a spiced potato curry. The standard festival breakfast.
Shukto
A slightly bitter mixed-vegetable dish served at the start of a formal meal, particularly at Poila Boishakh.
Mishti
Rosogolla, sandesh, mishti doi, payesh. No Bengali meal ends without something sweet, and no argument about which is best has ever been settled.
Published menus
What is being served next
Menus are confirmed a few weeks ahead and published here and on each event page.
Durga Puja 2026
Oct 9, 2026
Welcome to our three-day Durga Puja celebration! Join us for authentic festive meals featuring traditional Bengali bhog, delicious street food snacks, and rich holiday sweets.
Friday Dinner | Oct-09
6:30–8:00 PM
Non-Veg
- Fish Amritsari
- Goat Biriyani
- Butter Naan
- Kadai Paneer
- Raita
- Ros Malai
Veg
- Veg Chop
- Veg Biriyani
- Butter Naan
- Kadai Paneer
- Raita
- Ros Malai
Kids-Meal
- Chicken Pizza / Cheese Pizza
- Chicken Nuggets
- Brownie / CheeseCake
Saturday Lunch | Oct-10
12:30–2:00 PM
Veg
- Luchi
- Alur Dom
- Khichudi
- Labra
- Beguni
- Tomato Chatni
- Papad
- Malai Chomchom
- Samosa (snacks)
- Tea (snacks)
Saturday Dinner | Oct-10
6:30–8:00 PM
Non-Veg
- Butter Naan
- Chana Masala
- Tandoori Chicken
- Peas Pulao
- Goat Curry
- Gulab Jamun
Veg
- Butter Naan
- Chana Masala
- Paneer Tikka
- Peas Pulao
- Navaratan Korma
- Gulab Jamun
Kids-Meal
- Chicken Sandwich / Cheese Sandwich (Veg)
- Juice
- Gulab Jamun
Sunday Lunch | Oct-11
12:30–2:00 PM
Non-Veg
- Rice
- Dal
- Macher Matha diye Bandhakopi
- Katla Kalia
- Vetki Paturi
- Mango Chatni
- KanchaGolla
- Misti Mukh
Veg
- Rice
- Dal
- Bandhakopi
- Echor Curry
- Dhokar Dalna
- Mango Chatni
- KanchaGolla
- Misti Mukh
Previously served
Menus from past events
Kept online so you can see what a Sanhoti meal actually looks like before committing to your first one.
Annual Picnic 2026
Jul 12, 2026
Live kitchen cooking through the afternoon at O’Neill Regional Park, Trabuco Canyon — welcome drinks on arrival and a full Bengali lunch.
Lunch
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Cooked to order at the live kitchen.
Veg
- Lassi
- Mocktails
- Sada Bhaat
- Ghee
- Daal
- Begun Bhaja
- Alu Potol Veg
- Echor’er Torkari
- Matar Paneer
- Aam’er Chutney
- Papad Bhaja
- Mishti Doi
- Ice Cream
Non-Veg
- Maach Bhaja
- Alu Potol Chingri
- Shorshe Ilish
- Methi Chicken
- Vegetarian:
- A full vegetarian line-up runs alongside the non-veg dishes.
- For children:
- Kids $15 · free for children under 5.
- Allergies:
- Tell us about any allergies in advance and we will do our best to accommodate.
Poila Boishakh 2026 (Bengali New Year)
Apr 11, 2026
Nobo Borsho Dinner
5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Choose the veg or non-veg thali. A special mocktail is served to everyone.
Veg
- Veg Momo
- Kaju Kishmish Pulao
- Naan
- Daal Makhani
- Paneer Lababdar
- Malpoa
Non-Veg
- Chicken Momo
- Kaju Kishmish Pulao
- Naan
- Chicken Rezala
- Chingri Malaikari
- Malpoa
Drinks
- Special Mocktail
- Vegetarian:
- A complete vegetarian thali is available — no substitutions needed.
- For children:
- Kids aged 5–12 $15.
- Allergies:
- Tell us about any allergies in advance and we will do our best to accommodate.
Pithe Puli Utsab 2026
Feb 14, 2026
Traditional Bengali winter sweets, made by hand and shared across the community.
Pithe & Sweets
Veg
- Patishapta
- Bhapa pithe
- Puli
- Nolen gur payesh
Saraswati Puja 2026
Jan 23, 2026
Lunch
12:30 – 2:00 PM
Served after pushpanjali.
Veg
- Rice
- Veg Dal
- Alu Fulkopi
- Matar Paneer
- Chatnee
- Papad
- Chomchom
Non-Veg
- Vetki Paturi
- For children:
- Free for children under 12.
Durga Puja 2025
Sep 25, 2025
Three days of authentic festive meals — traditional Bengali bhog, street-food snacks and holiday sweets.
Friday Dinner
6:30–8:00 PM
Non-Veg
- Fish Amritsari
- Goat Biriyani
- Butter Naan
- Kadai Paneer
- Raita
- Ros Malai
Veg
- Veg Chop
- Veg Biriyani
- Butter Naan
- Kadai Paneer
- Raita
- Ros Malai
Kids-Meal
- Chicken Pizza / Cheese Pizza
- Chicken Nuggets
- Brownie / CheeseCake
Saturday Lunch
12:30–2:00 PM
Veg
- Luchi
- Alur Dom
- Khichudi
- Labra
- Beguni
- Tomato Chatni
- Papad
- Malai Chomchom
Saturday Dinner
6:30–8:00 PM
Non-Veg
- Butter Naan
- Chana Masala
- Tandoori Chicken
- Peas Pulao
- Goat Curry
- Gulab Jamun
Veg
- Butter Naan
- Chana Masala
- Paneer Tikka
- Peas Pulao
- Navaratan Korma
- Gulab Jamun
Kids-Meal
- Chicken Sandwich
- Juice
- Gulab Jamun
Kids-Meal
- Cheese Sandwich
- Juice
- Gulab Jamun
Sunday Lunch
12:30–2:00 PM
Non-Veg
- Rice
- Dal
- Macher Matha diye Bandhakopi
- Katla Kalia
- Vetki Paturi
- Mango Chatni
- Kancha Golla
Veg
- Rice
- Dal
- Bandhakopi
- Echor Curry
- Dhokar Dalna
- Mango Chatni
- Kancha Golla
Annual Picnic 2025
Aug 8, 2025
A full day of Bengali cooking at O’Neill Regional Park — breakfast on arrival, a proper rice-and-fish lunch through the afternoon, and ice cream to finish.
Breakfast
From 9:00 AM
Veg
- Luchi
- Cholar Dal
- Rabdi
- Jalebi
Lunch
Veg and non-veg options served side by side.
Veg
- Rice
- Ghee
- Alu Bhaja
- Chatni
- Papad
- Veg Dal
- Begun Bhaja
- Paneer Masala
- Dhokar Dalna
- Sandesh
Non-Veg
- Macher Matha Diye Dal
- Mach Bhaja
- Sorse Ilish
- Mutton Curry
- Chicken Curry
Drinks
Veg
- Tea
- Soft Drinks
- Mocktail
Afternoon treat
Veg
- Ice Cream
- Vegetarian:
- Vegetarian alternatives are served alongside every non-veg dish.
- Allergies:
- Tell us about any allergies in advance and we will do our best to accommodate.
Questions
About the food
- Is the food at Sanhoti events vegetarian?
- Both are always available. Bhog — the food offered at the puja and served afterwards — is strictly vegetarian and cooked without onion or garlic. Evening meals usually include fish or meat alongside full vegetarian options. Every published menu marks which is which.
- Can I buy Bengali food without attending the whole event?
- At most events food is served to everyone present, sometimes with a meal ticket to cover costs. Sanhoti is not a restaurant — we cook for our own festivals — but nobody is turned away, and visitors who come out of curiosity are fed like anyone else.
- What is bhog?
- Bhog is food first offered to the deity during puja and then distributed to everyone present as prasad. The classic Durga Puja bhog is khichuri (rice and lentils cooked together), labra (a mixed vegetable dish), a tomato chutney and payesh. It is cooked in enormous quantities by volunteers and is, by long tradition, free.
- Do you cater for allergies?
- Menus are published in advance on each event page so you can check ingredients ahead of time. Volunteers cook in shared kitchens, so we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment — if you have a serious allergy, contact us before the event and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot promise.
Everything we have served
90 dishes published across our menus so far.
- Aam’er Chutney
- Alu Bhaja
- Alu Fulkopi
- Alu Potol Chingri
- Alu Potol Veg
- Alur Dom
- Bandhakopi
- Begun Bhaja
- Beguni
- Bhapa pithe
- Brownie / CheeseCake
- Butter Naan
- Chana Masala
- Chatnee
- Chatni
- Cheese Sandwich
- Chicken Curry
- Chicken Momo
- Chicken Nuggets
- Chicken Pizza / Cheese Pizza
- Chicken Rezala
- Chicken Sandwich
- Chicken Sandwich / Cheese Sandwich (Veg)
- Chingri Malaikari
- Cholar Dal
- Chomchom
- Daal
- Daal Makhani
- Dhokar Dalna
- Echor Curry
- Echor’er Torkari
- Fish Amritsari
- Ghee
- Goat Biriyani
- Goat Curry
- Gulab Jamun
- Ice Cream
- Jalebi
- Juice
- Kadai Paneer
- Kaju Kishmish Pulao
- Kancha Golla
- Katla Kalia
- Khichudi
- Labra
- Lassi
- Luchi
- Maach Bhaja
- Macher Matha diye Bandhakopi
- Macher Matha Diye Dal
- Malai Chomchom
- Malpoa
- Mango Chatni
- Matar Paneer
- Methi Chicken
- Mishti Doi
- Misti Mukh
- Mocktails
- Mutton Curry
- Naan
- Navaratan Korma
- Nolen gur payesh
- Paneer Lababdar
- Paneer Masala
- Paneer Tikka
- Papad
- Papad Bhaja
- Patishapta
- Peas Pulao
- Puli
- Rabdi
- Raita
- Rice
- Ros Malai
- Sada Bhaat
- Samosa (snacks)
- Sandesh
- Shorshe Ilish
- Soft Drinks
- Sorse Ilish
- Special Mocktail
- Tandoori Chicken
- Tea
- Tea (snacks)
- Tomato Chatni
- Veg Biriyani
- Veg Chop
- Veg Dal
- Veg Momo
- Vetki Paturi