MasterChef India Season 7 contestant and home chef Dyuti Banerjee presented fresh spring flavours at her food pop-up Spring Sprang Sprung at Kolkata’s Cafe Yonder on March 30
The celebratory menu began with Mogra Sherbet, an aromatic welcome drink inspired by a traditional Sindhi drink
Next on the eight-course menu was a Machhbhaat Arancini with Aamer Tok Mayo. The Sicilian staple got a Bengali twist with a filling of Bengal’s favourite bekti fish and Gobindobhog rice, and was served with a raw mango mayonnaise dip, inspired by the flavours of the Bengali raw mango chutney
Next up was a chicken salad, with pan-grilled chicken and flavoured with a quintessential Bengali roasted spice mix or ‘bhaja moshla’. The salad was tossed in a dressing of spinach and mishti doi vinaigrette
For the mains, there were delicious Panchforon Cheese Buns with Prawn Sorak Curry, which was inspired by Goa’s poi bread and sorak curry. The freshly baked rolled up bread was filled with cheese and crispy fried Bengali-style onion, garlic, dried chilli mix with panchforon (five spices)
The other main was a Cafe Yonder speciality — paratha cone with chicken tikka
To wash down the fusion flavours, Dyuti brought nostalgic childhood flavours to the table in an ice-gola inspired drink with kokum syrup
The menu concluded with a mouth freshener — an aamshottwo carpaccio with paan chiffonade flavoured with saunf (fennel) served in betel leaves
