আয়, আয়, আয়রে আয়, আয়রে আয়, আয়রে আয়,আয়রে বোঝাই হাঁড়ি হাঁড়ি মন্ডা-মিঠাই কাঁড়ি কাঁড়ি আয়,মিহিদানা পুলিপিঠে জিভেগজা মিঠে মিঠেআছে যত সেরা মিষ্টি আছে যত এলো বৃষ্টি, এলো বৃষ্টি, এলো বৃষ্টি,ওরে! Pujo is over. It is that sad, desolate time of year when, teary-eyed, we bid goodbye to Maa Durga and all the lights and festivities…
মনকেমনের অষ্টমী
যেদিন ঘুম ভাঙলেই মনে হয় এ পৃথিবীতে এত আনন্দ এর আগে কখনও আসেনি, সেই দিনটাই অষ্টমী। পায়ের দিকে জানালা। চোখ খুলেই দেখব বাইরে ঝকঝক করছে রোদ। দূরের ইউক্যালিপটাস গাছটার মাথায় পাশের শহর থেকে আসা তিন-চারটে পাখি। তারা আমাদের শহরে এসে অবাক হয়ে গেছে খুব; সে গল্পই করছে নিজেদের কাছে। বারোয়ারি পুজো মন্ডপ থেকে পুরুতঠাকুরের গলা…
Pujo, Kolkata, and Street Food
Durga Puja is an emotion. Durga Puja is an allegedly lazy, laid back city showing its true colours quite literally- its artistic pandals and bedazzling lights guide hungry, lost souls home for a bit of peace and mangshor jhol. If you’re a nomad at heart and even homecoming means wandering the streets of your beloved…
The Cocktail Chronicles: Pujo
This episode of The Cocktail Chronicles is a little different, and rather special. Since the Pujo season is upon us, I’ve decided to give the normal narrative a little break and focus on some original recipes, all centered around Bengali ingredients and flavours. The drinks are arranged from the simple to complex, and encompass a…
The Pujo Prelude
So far, 2022 has been an eventful year, with lots of highs and lows. One of the upcoming highs is getting to spend Pujo in Kolkata after a very long time. Pujo is a time of socialisation, of meeting up with friends. And in that spirit, I have a series of four rather special articles…
Machh: The Calcutta Epilogue
Last Pujo, we dived deep into an exploration of fish in Bengali cuisine. We covered fish as a whole, right from the cacophony of the fishmarket to the stunning array of classics whipped up in the kitchen to the eating traditions. In this article, we will expand our lens beyond traditional Bengali home cooking and…
The Bong Blueprint
Pujo is just a month away. It is my first Pujo back home after three whole years, which feels great. Like every year, 2022 also has a series of great articles lined up for you during the festive season. There are guest articles and Pujo-specific writeups, and then there are articles celebrating the beauty of…
Ths Cocktail Chronicles (Part 8)
Tropical Tipsy Last time, we explored two sour-type cocktails in Embury’s list of six basic drinks, with a detailed look at brandies, before concluding with a brief mention of the third sour cocktail in that list, the daiquiri. In the present article, we will spend some more time on the daiquiri, delving into the wonderful…
Dosa in a Time Warp
Vidyarthi Bhavan, located in the Gandhi Bazaar area in Bangalore, is a students’ eatery established in 1943, serving South Indian breakfast staples like idli, vada, and dosa. It constantly pops up in lists of “must-try restaurants in Bangalore”, and I’ll have to admit, I was a tad skeptical. I knew this place has a huge…
Farmlore : Reviving the Art of Slow Dining
Farmlore is a farm-to-table restaurant in Bangalore headed by Chef Ebenezer Johnson, that focuses on the performance art of the degustation menu. You book a ticket in advance and reach at a stipulated time. Like a piano recital or stand-up gig, you’re robbed of choice in terms of actual content, except for some basic options…
The Gourmet Glutton 