Food Trail in Kolkata

I wriggled my way past hand-driven rickshawalas running alongside fancy cars and my fellow path walkers.  We all seemed to share the same road, battling for the same space.  The whiff of freshly made mishtis, the sweet smell of kheer, the aroma of succulent kebabs, and the essence of saffron in Biryiani, were like a balm to my soul. I found myself drawn towards these aromas.  Along the road, the smell of fish fries, hot scones, and cookies all seemed to summon me.  With the aroma of food dominating my senses, I jaunted on a food trail along the streets of Kolkata, tracing the delightful flavours, embedded in these narrowing alleys and snaking streets.

One cannot stay in Bhawanipore, (located in South Kolkata) and pass up on the opportunity to explore one of the oldest traditional sweet makers of this city, established around a century ago- Balaram Mullick and Radharam Mullick. Their products are a harmony of constant innovation and traditional Bengali confectionery wisdom. The door to this sweet shop was once a decorated wedding gate, happily announcing ‘Mishti weds Cadbury’. Yes, a double treat! I stooped over the huge glass-display that had a wide selection of ‘Mishtis” heavily infused with chocolate. These sweets are made of chenna(sour cream cheese), kneaded with sugar syrup, and whisked with fresh cream until the mixture is thick and fluffy, and then maneuvered into varying shapes. Melted chocolates, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, chocolate strands, chocolate with fruits, and just liquid chocolates, filled in varying shapes – you name it and they have it. I asked for the one with white chocolate chips on it. The Mishti had a soft creamy texture and was rich in cocoa; it was almost like eating a bar of chocolate. Round the corner of the shop were stacks of other traditional sweets, monda, channapoda, danadar, katigaja, jalbhara and many more. Containing my desire for these sweets, I tried their famous Mango Doi next. This moist, mouth melting curd had an overwhelming fruity flavour of Mango. A summer delight!

Once, I was set in the mood for something sweet, I decided to cover another popular mishti destination in Kolkata.  I headed straight to K.C Das, at Esplanade. Famed as the rashogulla king, K.C. humbly serves these beautiful spongy balls of casein, dipped in sweet syrup, with a smooth texture that melts in the mouth. After experimenting with flavours, they have further added to their pool of products, flavored rashogullas of rose, mango, elachi(cardamom,) and even ones filled with jaggery available during winters. I gazed at the array of colored balls while I gulped down their Ice cream sandesh. It is a mixture of chena, cottage cheese, and sugar – a light steamy delight.

Next, at the prospect of trying out the typical Bengali meal, I went to Putiram at College Street. They instantly served their scrumptious Cholardaal and Luchi upon ordering. Luchi, the light and fluffy circular bread, is made of fine flour and then fried in hot oil. A yellow lentil preparation- CholarDaal garnished with coconut, with a hint of sweet flavour- sat at my table for a long time. I sat there for an hour, eating to my heart’s fill, for their unlimited supply of Cholardaal, is hard to forgo. To keep my affair with old Bengali fare going, I took the tram to my next destination. On the wheels, my mind meandered away from the chaos of the city noise and enjoyed the scenery of the laid back city life. Shortly, I alighted and started walking  on the ‘Book market’ street. I strolled alongside stalls, with an elaborate display of books, ranging from the popular to the unknown. Right at the next bend of the road, when I was in dire need of some liquid to quench my thirst, I reached Paramount. Paramount-the ultimate juice parlour, is an indispensable place for the natives of this city during the scorching heat in summer. It is a must visit for the travellers as well. I read the list of sherbats, outside the shop. Starting from Mango shakes, Grape crushers, Cocoa Malai, Blue Lagoon to the basic Dab(Green Coconut) Sherbat, I took a sip from all that I could glug down at that time. Their quality is highly controlled, as the source of their primary ingredients is their garden.  I looked at the board nailed at the entrance, that proudly proclaimed, ‘Best in town-next to none’ and nodded in agreement.

My next stop was New Market, for some rolls.  Nizams’ situated in new market is one of the centres for ‘roll’ lovers in Kolkata. These egg coated, wrapped rotis, with chicken, mutton and egg fillers, dressed with numerous sauces and ringed onions, were a mecca of absolute pleasure. It is a decent place with an old world charm, serving you one of the best beef kebabs, lacchcha parantha, halim, and an array of boti roll, bara kebab roll, shammi roll, aloo roll, paneer roll, and various other rolls. I allowed myself the privilege of tasting a little of everything on their menu, and the consequence was that I couldn’t get up from that ever so comfortable sofa in that ever so crowded shop. I was full and immensely satisfied. Owing to places like these, Calcuttians swear that kathi rolls are their trademark fast-food. .

However, my quest was not over, as I dreamt of tetulertaker( sour tamarind essence)  ‘phuchkas’, my mouth watered.  I reserved this irresistible entry, for another day, and retired for the day.  To give a finale to my day, I reached ‘Scoops’ at PrincepGhat. Located on the Ghat (bank) of the river, this ice cream parlor promises one a staggeringly beautiful view, looking over to the other side of the river. The lights looked like small lit lamps. As I dug into my ice- cream sundae, I thought of the other side of earth where I was taken to with each bite. Yes, heaven is a place on earth.

[Picture Courtesy: www.openrice.in,www.eatfoodlovelife.wordpress.com,www.outlookinida.com,team-bhp.com,tripadvisor.in,www.365oranges.in,www.b.vimeocdn.com]

Chandrima Chattopadhyay

An adventure enthusiast, frequent traveler, voracious reader and a food lover. Currently pursuing Philosophy at LSR, Delhi. Meeting new people and interacting with strangers sort of makes my every day life an adventure by itself.