There should be a new, peppy version of the popular Bengali song Basanta Ese Geche; one that celebrates winter. At the risk of pandering to the cultural appropriation that every Bangali is a poet, I have penned a few lines of the song for my favourite season and its bounty of produce: Batase legeche heem, nayane lagiche pithe mithe, notun aloo dakilo piche, sheetkaal ese geche…
Come winter, and the sight of koraishuti (peas), notun alu, peyajkoli (onion flower), phoolkopi (cauliflower), mulo (raddish), shorsher shaak (mustard greens) and other winter produce in Kolkata’s bazaars makes the heart of a Bengali foodie dance. At this time of year, Bengali homes are filled with the aroma of hing as koraishutir kochuri and notun alur dom make up the Sunday menu. With it being the season for nolen gur, making heirloom pithe-puli isn’t confined to Sankranti alone and lunch is usually followed by some patishapta or doodh puli.
‘Bhakka Pithe’ — a traditional Bengali dessert that is best experienced warm and with a drizzle of liquid ‘nolen gur’ Shutterstock
Second to monsoon, when ilish rules the fish menu, winter is a favourite time for the fish-loving Bangali. It is the time when recipes like boal maacher tortora (a spicy curry made with a fresh water catfish named Wallago attu), peyajkoli diye shol bhaja (sauteed snakehead murrel fish with onion flower), tel koi (carp fish in spicy gravy), and desi tyangrar chocchori (catfish curry with winter vegetables) are made at home.
‘Tel Koi’ with piping hot rice is a winter must for a fish-loving Bengali Shutterstock
For the cosmopolitan Bong who likes to tinker in the kitchen — like myself — it is the time when momos are made at home with beef keema and dhenki shaak (fiddlehead fern), or bhakka pithe (a type of pithe mainly made in districts like Murshidabad) is given a spin with a filling of has a coconut, jaggery and cream cheese filling.
Winter is indeed a wondrous time to feast in Bengal, and in Kolkata. With the scorching heat out of the way, it is an opportune time to flaunt the winter wardrobe and head off on culinary adventures. Here are a few places you will find a bhojonroshik Bengali in winter…
Early to bed, early to Sufia….
As the mercury dips, the early morning crowd outside Sufia Restaurant on Zakaria Street increases. If you want to begin your day with perhaps the city’s most delicious beef or mutton nihari and tandoori roti, then you have to be at Sufia by 4.30am. The slow cooked winter delicacy is made in small batches and by the time the sun is up in the sky, it is all sold out.
The aroma of the spices, the semi spicy gravy, the melt in the mouth succulent pieces of beef of the nihari, paired with hot rotis is enough reason to wake at the break of the dawn or even stay up the night. Also don’t miss out on the beef shingaras!
The call of Mrityunjoy
Even for those who love to cook, making a koraishutir kochuri and notun alu don meal is hard work! On days when the lyadh wins over, there is always Mrityunjoy. The Mrityunjoy Ghosh & Sons at Sarat Bose Road is the place to be to enjoy the winter staple. Did you know that the heritage eatery is also famous for their Roshomundir Payesh?
A joyful ride to Joynagar
A trip to Joynagar to savour some 'moa' is always on the cards in the winter months Wikimedia Commons
Winter without moa? That’s unthinkable for most Bengalis! Instead, we plan a road trip to Joynagar to dig into decadent bites from the OG moa-land. The snacks on the journey will always include komla lebu (oranges), another winter staple.
The ‘gur’ season
A road trip to scout for the best nolen gur is not a far fetched though for many Kolkatans TT Archives
Khejur gur is an integral part of a Bengali kitchen in the winter. Whether in the form of patali or jhola, to flavour the payesh and add to the pithe filling or just to nibble and the end of a meal — winter is incomplete without some gur. While it is available at various big and small markets around the city, many prefer making a trip to Krishnagar to buy jaggery and also make a road trip. Today, popular homegrown brands like Amar Khamar offer a diverse range of gur on their website, making it easy for people to procure the seasonal treat.
Let them have cake!
A long queue to buy freshly made plum cakes is a regular sight outside Nahoum and sons in New Market My Kolkata
The nip in the air is also synonymous with the scent of sugar and butter in the air as bakeries big and small churn out plum cakes for the festive season — and often for weeks beyond it. From Nahoum’s and Saldanha to the little para bakery that fires up its oven specifically to bake Christmas cakes, if there’s one thing that spells Christmas in Kolkata, it is the plum cake.
Memories on a plate
The list of culinary winter treats to enjoy in Kolkata can be endless, much like the memories of winter picnics at the Maidan, enjoying muri with koraishuti bhaja. For a ’90s kid like me the season is about jaunts around the city solely guided by my palate, making time to cook up recipes from grandma and mum with seasonal goodies like gur or pui metuli and maybe even trying to rustle up the after-dinner treat of kheer komola with fresh oranges.
‘Kheer Komola’ — a bowl of winter nostalgia Shutterstock
