Cover image picture credits: (L): Kheye Bacho, (R): Shivani Kakhandki
Kolkata sets a precedent for packing a punch into its gastronomy. Sure you have feasted on the rosogollas (spongy balls of curdled milk) and the decadent mishti doi (a sweet fermented yoghurt). It is no surprise how Kolkata transforms the most unassuming ingredients into pure joy. But away from the glint of the mithai (Indian sweets) scene, there lies a world of unexplored foods. We asked chefs, food writers and bloggers to weigh in with their suggestions on unique dishes they have sampled in Kolkata. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Mango sticky rice dessert: Sienna Calcutta
Kolkata surprises us with how she borrows from cosmopolitan influences to cater to a varied palate profile. To know how turn your gaze to Sienna Calcutta. Here you’ll find the khao niew mamuang (mango sticky rice), a Thai dessert famous for combining coconut milk’s sweet and creamy flavours with the tropical hints of ripe mango. The extra oomph is contributed by the glutinous rice.
Chef Sachiko Seth, co-owner of ‘Blue Poppy Thakali’ is a fan. Recalling his experience of sampling the modern interpretation of the Thai cult classic, Sachiko says, “Sienna Cafe is always up to some creativity. I love the attention to detail and the quirkiness with their twists to food.”
2. Singara chow: Ah Leung
Where to eat in the Tangra area of Kolkata, also known as the city’s ‘Chinatown’? The answer to this conundrum lies in food writer Poorna Banerjee’s suggestion — Ah Leung. A decade ago, Poorna was on a shopping spree in the area and accidentally stumbled upon the eatery and became a fan of a simple hakka dish served there. The singara chow or wonton chow, she explains, is made by tossing freshly cooked noodles with salted lard and then topping it with a bunch of steamed wontons and cooked pork/chicken along with scallions, making for a medley of flavours.
“It is served with a bowl of soup, which I use to moisten the noodles. I then add some soy sauce and chilli sauce to perk it up. Ah Leung not only makes these noodles but also kaptai (pork liver) noodles, which are as awesome,” she shares.
3. Prawn cutlets: Allen Kitchen
The story of this late-night haunt, which is more than a century old, started when a gentleman set up a stall in Kolkata’s Allen Street area. Through the years, the kathi rolls (an Indian flatbread filled with delicious fillings), fish pakoras (fried snacks), chicken steak and mutton chops became the talk of the town. And most evenings, food creator Toonika Guha finds herself stocking up on the prawn cutlets. These have special significance for more reasons than one, she shares. One is obviously the flavour quotient. “This is their specialty dish. Large pieces of prawns are flattened out and coated in a batter with spices. They are then fried in pure ghee. It’s delicious.”
Another reason for the bias is nostalgia.“When my (now) husband and I first started dating at the age of 19, like most middle-class Indian youth, we kept our relationship a secret from our parents. So when we hung out, it would always have to be at cafes or eateries. Allen Kitchen was one of the places that we would frequent a lot and the prawn cutlet was our favourite.”
4. Aloo r chop: Lakshmi Narayan Shaw
The iconic Lakshmi Narayan Shaw has become synonymous with the city’s telebhajas (deep-fried snacks), earning a reputation for being one of Kolkata’s oldest snack hubs. Khedu Shaw first envisioned the outlet in 1918 as a modest, family-run business. Now, it reigns over the culinary realm. Echoing the sentiment of many, Toonika says if she had to pick one item from the menu for her binge feast, it would be the aloo r chops (potato fritters). But vying for counter space is also the phuluri (fried snacks with delicious fillings).
Letting us in on a bit of trivia, Toonika shares that the eatery is fondly remembered as one of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s favourite eating spots. “I remember coming here with my dad when I was little to buy the chops. On Netaji’s birthday, each year, they would give out free food and as a seven-year-old, I would excitedly line up to get my share.”
5. Jhal Muri: Bhojomori Manna
Street food has always held the fancy of Manjunath Mural, executive chef at Adda restaurant in Singapore. And a dish that he can’t resist is jhal muri (spicy puffed rice snack). “I grew up in Mumbai and loved snacking on the bhel puri (a popular chaat snack made with puffed rice, sweet sour spicy chutneys, veggies and sev). Whenever I would go to Kolkata I would eat the jhal muri which has a really nice flavour. I still eat the dish on every trip.”
Chef Manjunath’s spot to catch up on his favourite is Bhojomori Manna, an eatery that began out of a garage space at Ekdalia, Kolkata in March 2003 when five friends decided to fill the “vacuum for simple home-style Bengali food in Kolkata”.
6. Chicken à la Kiev: Kwality Restaurant
The Kwality Restaurant, established in 1952 by PN Ghai in the heart of Park Street, Kolkata, has become a part of the city’s social fabric. Soon after taking off, it rose to the ranks of being hailed as one of the city’s most vibrant dining and entertainment districts. Its distinctive trait was that of being able to create a place where the residents of the city could sample epicurean fare. Bear in mind this was at a time when Indian restaurants prided themselves on their indigenous allegiance. And the chicken à la Kiev (a classic dish of Ukrainian origin) found favour with food writer Ranjini Guha.
“In high school, I would pester my father to take me to Kwality Restaurant after a friend described this particular dish as ‘butter coming out of a chicken cutlet’. I thought it must be magic. When I tasted it, indeed it was.” Ranjini laughs, “With a knife I cut across the crumb fried chicken and hell broke loose — my face and dress were smeared with the molten butter!”
7. Kochur Loti
“Back in the day, widows weren’t allowed to eat meat or fish. So, they came up with unique recipes made with discarded parts of a plant. Today, we know these are zero-waste recipes or pata bhata, ” Shrimoyee Chakraborty, chef turned film-maker and founder of ‘Calcutta Street Restaurant’ in London, shares. Hands down her favourite of these is the kochur loti (a dish made with taro plant stems).
“It’s a delicious spicy dish made into a pate and cooked in mustard oil, lots of ginger, chillies and fresh chillies. Some families even add baby prawns to it. I remember mixing it up with lots of rice and ghee. I could eat an entire meal just with this.”
Edited by Arunava Banerjee
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