I love to eat. Food rejuvenates and nourishes, and sometimes reminds you of the cloying sweetness of "Ode to Autumn".
This is my little paradise where the little whiff of heaven or tastes of Valhalla gets recorded...
Silent and cold is the morning in Kolkata. Fixating oneself to the comfort of the bed and within the warmth of a কম্বল (blanket) is a natural reaction.
Crisp, piping hot, deep fried dal puri from the nearest neigbourhood কড়াই (kadahai) is one of those things that can draw one from the womb (perhaps) or at least the কম্বল (blanket)...
Dal Puri
The dal puri from the muslim eateries around my place in Ripon Street is a creature distinct from similar species from the Bengali or any other part of this nation, separated by the taste of the filling and the texture of a deep fried concoction. The Jaipur kachori comes closest to the texture.
It is had in winter with copious soup plates of piping hot Nihari and Paya during winter mornings.
I decided to cook something simple at home for lunch. So I made some Aloo Methi and Aloo Karela... (I hope to put the cooking experience up in a separate post)
Karela... করোলার তরকারি
Aloo Methi...আলু মেথির তরকারি /आलू मेथी
Lunch done and a little siesta later, my dad wanted to visit an old friend of his from his office days. So, we hopped onto a taxi and landed up in Lake Garden.
Enroute, across a railway crossing the তেলে ভাজা (telay bhaja) stall beckoned like a siren from the rocks. So we had to try the piping hot fare that invited us so :P
তেলে ভাজা (telay bhaja) stall
ধনে পাতা ভাজা (Dhania patta fritter)
আলু বড়া (Aloo fritter)
আলু বড়া (Aloo fritter) being devoured
The delights of a nourishing road side economy in early evening is beset with tempting fare. So. Next it was a ফুচকা ওলা (Phuchka Wala) who started his evening with us as his first customers.
Beware! This is NOT the paani puri or gol gappa! Growl and Grr just in case you decide (and dare) to get mixedup between these!
A ফুচকা in hand
A beautiful গন্ধরাজ লেবু (Gondhoraj Lemon) makes things aromatic
তেতুল জল, আলু সিদ্ধ, মটর সিদ্ধ, মশলা এবং কিঞ্চিত লঙ্কা গুড়ো ... আর একটু বিটনুন (Tamarind water, boiled yellow peas, mashed boiled potatoes, and phuchka masala... With a dash of red chilly powder and rock salt
Here we go...
Then of course there was some ভাড়ে করে চা (tea in earthen kulhads) from the nearest stall followed by Tamilian home cooked savouries and excellent filter coffee. The latter of course was at the home of the people we visited.
Once back home, the left overs from lunch got rejected for dinner owing to typical Bengali-esque idiosyncrasies that I have escaped for the last 15 years (রাত্রে তিতো খাইলে অম্বল হয় !)
So I got my dad some Sino-Nepali clear chicken soup (though I was looking for the Chinese made Maida Surua (that is now extinct in Ripon street)), while I settled for an egg chicken kati roll...
Kolkata style Chicken Kati Roll in the making...
Presenting... The Egg Chicken Kati Roll
Presenting... The Egg Chicken Kati Roll
Within the Egg Chicken Kati Roll
Clear Chicken Soup... A valid contrast...
Then I decided to have a look-see at the decked-up-for-Christmas Park Street...
No festivity in Bengal. Let me reiterate. Nothing festive... is possible sans food... Hence the crowds thronged the music arena at Allen Garden and of course--the plethora of food stalls doing brisk (and insane) business...
One was spoilt for choice between authentic chinese, anglo-indian, muslim, and bengali cuisine. Apart from the adapted (and hence not so authentic) Thai, Japanese, and of course the ubiquitous Momos!
Of course there was confectionary from Flury's and a host of interesting places and even the humble candy floss!
The malpua that I grew up eating in Kolkata is a different creature from the one that I encountered in Pune and Mumbai.
The malpuas of the east were akin to an appam, soft in the centre and a tapering crunchy edge--almost shaped like a flying saucer.
The ones that I have had in Pune and Mumbai are akin to a deep fried pancake.
For a change I was struck at the lack of information in Wikipedia compared to http://www.ifood.tv/network/malpua. (Mental note to myself to update the Wikipedia article.)
So, I'd just come home after a gruelling session at office when I wandered away from my quest to buy chappatis and chanced upon the aroma of fresh malpuas in Tawakkal.
Now this is not the Tawakkal of much fame and glory in town. This is smallish sweet shop in Mahim in the lane that connects L J Road to Cadel Road and the Baba Makdum Shah Dargah.
The interesting part of the pricing is the jump of Rs 20 if add an egg. In my experience it changes the texture of the batter and makes it a little bit more fluffier. So I went ahead and before I could pay and fish out my phone, the eggs were cracked into the mixture, whisked and spread into the smoking hot oil.
Here is a video that shows how it is fried and then generously slathered with Rabdi.
