Imma start this journey to soulfulness with a short guessing game because a bit of thinking while being glued to our electronic devices is a scientifically proven calorie burner.
Hehe….
The game consists of a short poem and ye lovely folks have to guess who it is about.
Here we go….
The soul stirs from its stagnant reverie,
When you lay siege over my mind.
You needn’t strike a single blow,
The sight of you, makes my army unwind.
Resistance, is but a hindering breeze,
I bend the knee to your conquest.
Your aura, entraps the world with ease.
Here, I give in.
My heart, yours forever to keep.
Awright….Any guesses yet?
Well, -10, if you say this verse is about Tom Cruise.
(it could be, but no)
-100 if you giggle at your phones and think that this blogger is in love.
+150 if the first thing that comes to your mind after reading this poem is your upcoming meal.
Because Unholy Craving is this post’s middle name.
hehe….
*Disclaimer*: Please do not throw your tomatoes at the blogger. Eat them instead.
Kolkata, the city of joy, definitely earns its title because of its kitchens. As a person who(partly) originates from the city, I can confirm that Bengali cuisine is not just a form of nourishment and a cultural icon.
It is an emotion.
The magic of Bengali gourmet cannot possibly be covered in a single blog post, nor can it be covered in a single trip, but if I were to rattle off each item on a complete Bengali menu, one would be in a food coma before tasting anything because hedonism originates among the culinary pleasures of Bengal.
hehe:)
So, in this post, Imma give an overview on the food options in the city of Kolkata, all amidst a whirlwind three day trip to reconnect with one half of my family tree.
In Bengali culture, feeding others is a love language. So when you go to meet family or friends who stay in Bengal, rest assured, you will be fed like royalty and the only answers to an offering of food is yes….and yes.
Let’s gets the cravings started!
Leading the culinary ensemble, we have one of Kolkata’s most popular cutlets, namely the Kobiraji.
It is a large, deep fried cutlet, made out of chicken, fish, prawn or even mutton. This one here is a chicken kobiraji, served with a zingy mustard dip known as Kasundi, without which no Bengali dish is ever complete.
Kobiraji is definitely one of the tastiest cutlets that I have ever had, because it contains everything to satisfy a sinful, soulful craving. It is the perfect blend of a mildly crispy exterior and a flavoured filling which is perfectly spiced.
In Bengal, there is a lot of emphasis on one’s cooking skills, so most families here have a member(or more) who can personally cook all the delicacies. The kobiraji, however, is a dish which not everyone can make. There is a very niche skillset required in coating the cutlet because the charm of the dish is in the coating and Kobiraji literally means “coverage”. The number of people who can make Kobiraji is rather limited so the cutlet is definitely one of the most exquisite dishes from the city of joy.
It is also, an appetiser.
Now that I have whet your tastebuds, let us move on to the next course.
Up next, we have a one of the most popular dishes that can be considered an icon for Bengali cuisine.
Here’s presenting Kosha Mangsho.
Right, translation time, “Mangsho” means meat in Bengali, usually referring to mutton and “kosha” refers to the process of slow cooking that makes the dish an absolute hit.
Kosha Mangsho is basically a mutton curry but unlike a typical liquid textured curry, this one is almost like a marinade. In fact the thicker the gravy, the better the dish.
The dish is a delectable fusion of flavours, mainly consisting of spicy and sweet and sour tones. It is a very flavourful curry and it is usually had with paratha, which is an Indian flatbread or rice, to add mildness to the overall zing.
The art of getting this dish to be so delectable is simply patience. One has to really cook the mutton and the spices very slowly and even a little bit of undercooking can lead to a watery curry which is the bane of chefs who attempt to make this dish. Outside of Bengal, no one can really make this properly, not even the Bengalis who have migrated from there, so perhaps the charms of the state add to the flavours:)
This dish is a must try when one is exploring Bengal.
Now, we have something that literally screams culinary delight: The typical Bengali lunch.
So, Kolkata is the abode of my mother’s aunt who is a magician in the kitchen and it is her life’s mission to provide visitors with the best meals of their lives.
The tragedy is that I live very far from Kolkata and such culinary pleasures are very rare, so whenever I am visiting, I have no limits to what I eat because I know I am the one that keeps my family’s head held high and the love owed to me is absolutely immense.
Like I said before, feeding others is a love language in Bengal, so whenever I am meeting relatives, this picture here, is how they express their love.
hehe….
Let’s get to deciphering the lunch.
The fish head on the bottom right is a dish made out of a river fish called Hilsa. Bengal is where one gets a treasury of river fish because a large tributary of the Ganges river nourishes the state. The sweet water yields very fresh and tasty shoals and Hilsa is a fish that is considered to be iconic to Bengal. The dish here is Hilsa fish, fried in mustard oil. It is a very simple dish but the flavour of mustard oil seeping into the fish makes it totally blissful. One can also pour extra oil over it and have it with rice or simply have the fish by itself
The dish beside it is fried aubergine, another signature dish that one will find in almost all Bengali households. There is a notion that Bengali food is not inclusive to vegetarians but that is a misconception borne out of little knowledge. Bengali cuisine does have its non-vegetarian delicacies but we do give veggies the love that they deserve. Some of the vegetarian dishes include aubergine, both fried and curried, potato curry, chickpeas, which form a part of most Bengali breakfasts, cauliflower, cabbage in chickpea flour, jackfruit and banana flower cutlets and the list goes on. This fried aubergine is a really popular dish because it is also used as an offering to the Gods during certain prayer rituals.
I am not usually a fan of aubergines but this one here has my whole heart:)
The yellow curry beside the aubergine is a typical dal or lentil soup. The dal made in Bengal is very simple, as compared to the one made in other parts of the country but the taste lies in its simplicity as it adds a cooling flavour to the overall burst of sweet, sour and spicy.
Beside the dal, is one of our hosts personal delicacies, which is prawn with cauliflower. Prawn is a favourite ingredient in Bengal and there is no dearth of dishes that one can make with it. I loved the combination of prawn with cauliflower, even though I was rather shocked at first but it was one of my favourite dishes during the trip. Bengalis have a way with flavouring that can make even the most vibrant combinations taste good.
The last bowl is once again, Hilsa fish cooked in a mustard based curry. Mustard is a very important component in most Bengali dishes as the pungent zing of the condiment adds immensely to the flavour. Bengalis are also rather creative with the use of mustard. One can use it as an oil or whole seeds or crushed or even in the form of a dip used with cutlets and other dry snacks. This curry is a lovely combination of mild and spicy tastes and is best had with rice to balance out the mustardy zing.
Is anyone feeling full already?
Well, one is never truly full and satisfied in Kolkata, so without further scope for post culinary starvation, Imma show you some of the intercontinental delicacies of the city.
This here is a Chelo Kebab which originates from Iran but finds its way into the hearts of all those living in and visiting Kolkata.
The city of joy has a cosy little restaurant called Peter Cat, located in the vintage Park Street area of the city. The restaurant has a waiting list that can extend up to hours because the chelo kebab is a viral hit in the city. I was very lucky to get a table without waiting for too long, and when I had the kebab, it was totally worth the hype. The kebabs themselves are made out of mutton, grilled to perfection and seasoned with spices and further served with roasted vegetables. The rice is nicely buttered and mildly salted to add depth to the overall dish. The poached egg also adds a good deal of comfort and cooling to the dish, making it one of the best inter-continental dishes that I have had.
The restaurant, Peter Cat, had my heart from the time I heard its name because one cannot go wrong after naming a place after a cat. I loved the themed menu and the mellow decor of the place, which provides a cosy respite from the bustle of the city.
The cat is probably trying to compel you into giving it a piece of your kebab.
hehe:)
I love how different parts of the world have their own take on Chinese food. It really brings home the fact that sharing ones recipes calls for vibrancy and cooking is an art where the chef’s personality is a part of the ingredients.
Indian Chinese food is one of the country’s favourite cuisine and it is very popular in Kolkata, appealing to every generation. This plate here is from a restaurant where my uncle had taken us for lunch. I personally think that uncles are truly the best relatives and if you have a Bengali uncle, rest assured, you will never feel guilty for walking away with five filled plates at a buffet.
hehe.
The plate above consists of noodles with prawn and a few tangy chicken dishes cooked in soya sauce. Indian Chinese is one of my favourite cuisines too and it was a fresh variety from the typical Bengali food.
This is a dish called Chilly Chicken, which is taken from Indo-Chinese cuisine but is often homemade. I had a chance to eat this at two different houses and both were incredibly tasty and made by two lovely women who have my whole heart. The dish on the right is made by someone who is legitimately my great grandmother, so there is an added flavour of family heritage.
hehe….
Finally, let us get to the main part of every meal, the dessert.
Bengali sweets are force that can unite the country. No matter where you go, a bowl of any Bengali sweet treat is a sure shot way to a person’s heart and I hope to make an impact on yours, not literally, but through pictures that speak a thousand words, all of them saying, “I cherish you”.
This plate consists of two varieties of sweets. The brown and yellow sweets are called Shondesh, the pride of Bengal. It is a soft sweet that melts in the mouth and it is made of cottage cheese and jaggery. Some of them are even filled with jaggery syrup and it is truly a blissful experience to eat this sweet.
The white sweet has a really cute name. It is called Chom Chom. It is a juicy sweet which is either bathed in sugar syrup or a milky base. This one is in a milky base but it is delicious either way. It is one of my favourite sweets of all times.
Whenever you ask someone from India what the word “Bengali” means to them, they will probably show you this picture because these sweets are literally a symbol of Bengal. The white balls are called Roshogolla, which literally means syrupy ball. They are exactly what their name suggests; Soft balls made with cottage cheese, soaked in a comforting sugar syrup. I cannot go into the lengths of how much this sweet resonates with my inner soul. I think everyone should strive to be like a Roshogolla, sweet, tender, easy to manage and just a little bit messy. hehe:)
The sweet in the bowl is Mishti Doi or a sweet, thick curd. I don’t usually like curd but I can have Mishti Doi for the rest of my life. One can also get this sweet in earthen cups where the cups add a native depth to the flavour.
Sweet shops in Kolkata are pockets of heaven on Earth. You can sample each sweet while standing there or take it to your next destination because they can be packed for the airplane. We Bengalis like to send our sweetness to all parts of the world.
hehe.
And that is a wrap.
Until Next Time,
Bon Appetit:)