Cooking is an art. Nothing else has the capability to satisfy man as much as good tasty food of a large variety.
Because it is an art, cooking cannot be prescribed by formulae. This is especially true for Bengali culinary art. If the spices, vegetables and other ingredients of every recipe could be written down in exact quantitative form, and the procedures could be clearly stated, there would not be any good cook or bad cook. Everybody would be able to cook equally well. Unfortunately this is not possible, and that is why the ability to prepare tasty food is so much valued in our society.
Therefore the way in which I describe the preparation methods for various Bengali recipes should be taken as indicative and not definitive. Indeed, a great variety exists in the culinary tradition of various regions of West Bengal and present Bangladesh. Preparation of the same item repeatedly – allowing some variations – will enable one to gain experience and understand the right proportions.
After the preparation, serving the food items in an aesthetically pleasing manner is also an art.