(From top) Chef Dubey holds up some hilsa dishes at The Hyatt; a Megh Utsab spread at Kewpie’s; items from the new Sonargaon menu at Taj Bengal. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Rains in Calcutta are almost synonymous with khichuri. Keeping that in mind, Bengali speciality restaurant Kewpie’s at 2, Elgin Lane has cooked up a range of this seasonal favourite, coupled with the right accompaniments, in a festival labelled Megh Utsab.

“On a rain-drenched day, what can be better than some piping hot khichuri with dollops of ghee and an array of poras and bhajas,” says restaurateur Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta.

On till July 24, the food feast has come up with three delicious thalas ? mangsho (mutton), bagda chingri (tiger prawns) and niramish (vegetarian).

Each platter, priced between Rs 195 and Rs 245, provides an option of two types of bhajas, one bharta, a choice of one vegetarian dish, tomato chutney and papad and, finally, mishti doi, mishti or payesh, depending on your sweet tooth.

The fries include begun, potol and dhenrosh, while one can choose from bhartas like egg, pumpkin and potato.

An added monsoon bonus is the introduction of a wide variety of sumptuous hilsa items like Pia’s Boneless Ilish Paturi, Shanti’s Tetul Ilish, Bhaiya’s Dol Ilish, Phool’s Ilish Bhape, Mona’s Ilish Katar Chorchori, Pulin’s Ilish Deemer Ambol or the ever-popular Kewpie’s Special Smoked Hilsa.

Seasonal delicacies like Mochar Paturi, Potol Chhanar Dolma, Dab Jhinge, Dhokar Dalna and Potol Dom are on offer for vegetarians.

New nuggets

Sonargaon at the Taj Bengal has put together a brand new menu. “We’ve used all the right spices, nothing more, nothing else. We have also introduced a wide range of dishes using olive oil, a brand new dal counter for the lentil enthusiast, an increased vegetarian selection and items like duck and lotus stem. We have also removed all cashew-based gravies,” says executive chef Surinder Singh.

The kebab counter has several new entrants. Some worth noting are the Shikampuri Kebab (sallow fried mutton mince kebab stuffed with yoghurt and onion) and Sukha Lasooni Murgi (succulent pieces of chicken fried with dry red chillies) for non-vegetarians; the Yam Raw Fry (yam crumbed with semolina and deep fried), Kothimbir Wadi (fresh coriander and gram flour dumpling, steamed and deep fried), Pudina Kamal Kakri (crispy lotus stems flavoured with mint) for vegetarians.

Coming to the main course, executive chef Singh recommends the Crab Aur Nariyal Ki Tikki (a mix of crab and coconut, wrapped in bhutta pata and shallow fried) and Murg Khatta Pyaaz (chicken cooked with pickled onion) for non-vegetarians and the Aap Ki Pasand spread for vegetarians.

“Since we have so many vegetarian diners, we thought we’d expand that section as well as give them a choice of their favourite veggies,” adds Singh.

The dal station has a wide assortment, including the Dal Sonargaon (black lentils simmered overnight with spices), Ma Chhole Ki Dal (split urad and chana dal tempered with jeera, ginger, onion, tomato and green chillies), Dal Mughlai (whole green gram tempered with jeera, garlic, onion and finished with tomato puree) and Lasooni Dal Tadka (moong and masoor dal tempered with garlic and butter).

The section on accompaniments has one new addition, the Ulte Tawa Ka Paratha, a thin and tasty bread made in an inverted kadhai.

Finally, the desserts section, boosted by the introduction of Lychee with Rabri and Paan Sorbet with homemade ice-cream.

Hilsa hub

Guchhi, the Indian restaurant at Hyatt Regency, is celebrating monsoon with an array of hilsa delights prepared by chef Sandeep Pandey till July 26.

Pamper your taste-buds with boneless Smoked Hilsa and tangy Amer Ilish Paturi (hilsa marinated with fresh mango pulp and green chilli paste, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed).

Enjoy the taste of traditional cooking from East Bengal with Ilish Aloo Beguner Jhol (hilsa cooked with potato and brinjal in a typical Bengali style) and zesty Sorshe Ilish in mustard gravy.

There is more ilish on the menu with Kochu Ilish (hilsa cooked with colacassia, ginger and green chilli) and Tawa Ilish (hilsa marinated with ginger, garlic and green chilli and grilled on the griddle). Prices range from Rs 395 to Rs 450.