Day 01 - Christmas and Food Chronicles in Kolkata - Chaap (চাঁপ), Kheema, and Paya

Kolkata feels more or less the same every time I come back to the city of my childhood. Perhaps a few more fly-overs, a different and newish airport and the buses and taxis are coloured and built a little different...

Approaching Kolkata to land... 6E 327

And ... EVERYTHING become more expensive with each trip that is separated by time...

Indigo works like clockwork. Kolkata proved to be as predictable. I landed in the middle of another strike... A taxi strike. After an expensive and providential journey back home, Baba decided to eat in Azizia... Well, now it is way sootier and is called Beeru's hotel.

Baba and Uncle Raymond at Beeru's Hotel, aka Azizia, Ripon Street, Kolkata

Nothing quite like good old Muslim cuisine :) 

Naan Roti

Crisp and piping hot naan rotis

চাঁপ

A dash of chaap (চাঁপ )... Fragrant with rosewater and keora paanin blended in with a bouquet of spices. Just the same way for years on end.

Kheema (কীমা )

And then there was a dal gosht cross over kheema that had dal in it... and a boiled egg for good measure.

Paya (পায়া)

Baba gravitated towards paya.

Tea (চা )

And of course, nothing works as well as a piping hot cup of tea that washes away the grease on the palate.

... The trip begins well...

Street Food: Malpua and Rabdi in Mumbai

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. 

Very yum and all umami inducing!