The Bengali meal is not served as starter-main-dessert but on a large metal plate (thala) where preparations are arranged in a circle and eaten in a ritual ORDER: first the bitter (shukto), then rice with fritters (bhaja) and vegetables (torkari), then dal, and finally the sweet (mishti). In Ananda Moyi's circle, the cuisine is sattvic: strictly vegetarian, without onion or garlic, prepared in a spirit of purity and first offered to the divine (bhog) before being shared as prasad. One sits on the floor to eat, in silence or chant.

Panch phoron — a Bengali blend of five whole seeds (cumin, nigella, fennel, fenugreek, mustard) thrown into hot ghee — perfumes most dishes. In an ashram kitchen, onion and garlic (considered too 'heating') are replaced by ginger, asafoetida, and this clarified butter, the purest fat regarded as the most sacred.