PITHE BILASHI
Where: 42/A Satish Mukherjee Road (near Kalighat Metro station), opposite Deshbandhu College for Girls
Timing: Noon to 10.30pm
Pocket pinch: Rs 500-plus for two
Other Pithe Bilashi outlets:
èSector V, Nalban Food Park
èBiswa Bangla Haat, New Town
èDekho Re, Laldighi
(Saturday, Sunday)
It was like an adventure!” recollected Nabanita Chatterjee Chakraborty, the 31-year-old owner of Pithe Bilashi, a restaurant that has come up near the Rashbehari crossing. She was narrating how she and her mother-in-law had cooked their way to success.
t2, meanwhile, was digging into a plate of Chicken Khichuri and Alshe Elish at the 30-seater restaurant, which is the fourth serve from the electrical engineer turned pithe-preneur.
The inspiration
It all began with a food stall selling traditional Bengali pithe during Durga Puja near the Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha pandal. “My mother cooks really well. My father is a foodie. After marriage, I came into a joint family where the in-laws loved and appreciated my cooking. They egged me on to take part in local cooking contests and I surprised everyone by winning most of them. All this inspired me, and with the help of my husband and mother-in-law I realised this is my true calling,” said Nabanita.
Tradition meets fusion
The speciality of Pithe Bilashi is, of course, traditional Bengali desserts (pithe) like dudh puli, patisapta and gokul pithe. Nabanita’s penchant for experimenting not only led her to add some fusion goodies like Mango Patisapta, Baked Gokul and Choco Puli but also try her hand at savoury patisapta like Prawn Malaicurry Patisapta, Kochi Mutton Patisapta and Cheese Chicken Baked Patisapta. And customers lapped it all up!
A foodpreneur
From handicraft fairs and t2 food festivals at the two City Centre addresses, Ecospace to ABP Ananda Aamantran, Pithe Bilashi has taken part in many munch melas across town.
The success at such events paved the way to their first kiosk inside the Biswa Bangla Haat in 2013. “Nobody in my family was into business. So I started learning about the industry on the job. In 2014, I left my job as a teacher to devote all my time to Pithe Bilashi. I am lucky to have a husband who also recently left his job to support me full-time!” said the Barasat resident, who now divides her time among the two stalls and two restaurants to ensure quality food everywhere. “We are still learning the tricks of the trade. The most important lesson? If the food is good, success won’t elude you,”
she smiled.
This one’s the Chicken Khichuri with Coconut Posto Bora, Chutney (it’s seasonal, we were served mango chutney), Papad and Green Doi @Rs 250. The ghee-laden rice-and-dal comfort food is filled with chicken keema and comes with a leg piece. The crispy papad and the coriander-and-mint-infused curd make it #soulfood. The khichuri menu also offers vegetarian, mutton, prawn and hilsa variations.
Going through the khichuri menu, we paused at two particular dishes — Chicken Palanna and Mutton Palanna. What’s palanna? “This is the original Bengali pilaf. You can say it’s the Bong way of cooking biryani,” explained Nabanita. Tasting a little like Dhakai bhuna khichuri, the moderately spicy Chicken Palanna was served with Green Salad, Chutney and Green Doi. @Rs 200
Steamed basmati rice and hilsa cooked in a rich and thick gravy made with coconut-mustard paste is all you need to pamper yourself on a lazy, rainy afternoon. No wonder they call it the Alshe Elish (alshe being lazy in Bengali). @Rs 350
“Many people don’t like the idea of a fish patisapta when they hear it. But once they try it, they fall in love,” said Nabanita, while we relished a Butter Fish Patisapta (Rs 160) with red and yellow sauce and planned a repeat visit! The other patisaptas on the menu include Butter Chicken, Paneer and Gondhoraj Fish.
The desserts — a combination of traditional and fusion pithe pulis of Bengal — are a must-try. We loved the Mango Patisapta (Rs 40) and Mohon Puli (Rs 50).
Text: Sibendu Das
Pictures: B. Halder
