‘Smoke, Rice, Water’: Bengali Stories with Kishwar Chowdhury

‘Smoke, Rice, Water’: Bengali Stories with Kishwar Chowdhury

From Chats Over Chai by Australia India Institute

June 4, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

Lisa Singh interviews Kishwar Chowdhury about her book 'Smoke, Rice, Water' and the cultural significance of Bengali cuisine.

CEO Lisa Singh joins Melbourne-born chef and MasterChef Australia finalist Kishwar Chowdhury to delve into the cultural stories behind her new book 'Smoke, Rice, Water', for this episode of Chats Over Chai. Drawing on her experience as a second-generation migrant, Kishwar shares stories of cooking Bengali dishes combined with local produce and methods. Her personal approach to Bengali cuisine has resonated with audiences around the world, as well as through her work as an advocate for food se...

People in this episode

Host: Lisa Singh

Guest: Kishwar Chowdhury

Topics covered

  • Bengali cuisine
  • cultural stories
  • migration
  • cooking
  • food advocacy

Keywords

  • Bengali dishes
  • cooking stories
  • MasterChef Australia
  • second-generation migrant
  • local produce

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Smoke, Rice, Water

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