For a practice marinated in Bengali culture, identity and nostalgia, three Bengali master chefs Joyadrita Chatterjee, Anirban Dasgupta and Ananya Banerjee share a list of 10 pandal classics.

Published: 02nd October 2022 05:00 AM   |   Last Updated: 01st October 2022 09:52 PM   |   A+ A  A-

Chefs Anirban Dasgupta, Ananya Banerjee and Joyadrita Chatterjee

A sensory overload that no foodie worth their salt can miss, the pandal-hopping experience during Durga Pujo offers a melange of flavours, aromas and textures.

For a practice marinated in Bengali culture, identity and nostalgia, three Bengali masterchefs—Joyadrita Chatterjee of Food of Joy: Flavours of Bengal in Chennai; Anirban Dasgupta, Executive Chef of JW Marriott Pune; and Ananya Banerjee, who has authored Bangla Gastronomy: The Journey of Bengali food—share a list of 10 pandal classics that must be savoured.

Raddhaballabi Alu Dum It’s a puri made with a filling of urad dal, paste of salt, ginger, chilli and turmeric, and hing (asafoetida). “The name was given by a zamindar family of Kolkata, who offered the kachoris to Lord Krishna and Radha, along with niramish alu dum, according to legend” says Banerjee.

Ghoogni This spicy, slurpy curry made of boiled yellow peasis paired best with lucchis,  but can also hold fort solo as a snack. Variants of the dish are made using black gram, green peas or white peas. Ghoogni is Kolkata’s proteinous version of the Dilli chat, but with the addition of coconut and ginger-garlic paste.

Ghoti Gorom Warm chanachur (savouries such as rice or corn flakes, puffed rice, sev etc.) mixed with peanuts, chopped onions and cucumber, bits of aamada (mango ginger) with spices and lime, is the stuff Bengali nostalgia is made of. The snack is so popular that Bengalis have no qualms naming the Ghoto Gorom vendor the ‘Pied Pier of Bengal.’

Puchchkas and Churmur An unwritten rule of pandal-hopping is to begin the feast with the jol puchchka—the sweet, sour and tangy snack. Churmur is the deconstructed pani puri chaat, a mixture of crushed puchka shells, boiled potatoes, chickpeas and crumbled lentil vadas with chutney and spices.

Kosha Mangsho Navami sees non-vegetarian dishes sneaking into the menu. Kosha mangsho (Bengali mutton curry) is succulent meat chunks, drenched in a spicy curry, accompanied by lucchis or pulao.

Aloo Kabli A curry in salad’s clothing, it’s a street snack made of boiled potatoes tossed with tamarind pulp, chillies, coriander, spice powder and a dash of lime, the addition of sev adds an extra crunch to the dish.

Khichuri and Labra A combination of runny khichuri, labra (mixed-veg with Bengali spices), bhajas (fried vegetables), tomato chutney, cholar dal and mishti (curd), it is the Ashtomi bhog.

Chop-Cutlet This signature has many avatars—crispy chicken cutlet, fish fry, kabiraji cutlet (fillet of fish or meat in an egg mesh), to name a few. “The fish kabiraji is also called a ‘coverage fish’ as the Betki fish fillet is covered with egg layers and rolled in bread crumbs. British dak bungalow officers loved this snack,” says Banerjee.

This sweet and savoury traditional Bengali lentil relish is made of Bengal gram lentil, ghee, coconut and a few spices, and is best paired with lucchi or steamed rice. The secret of its goodness lies in Bengali ghee, also called Jharna ghee, made of thick cow milk.

Sondesh A 16th-century dessert, originally made of milk and sugar, transformed into one made of chenna (cottage cheese) during the British era. It’s a Bengali’s favourite ritualistic offering. Sondesh marks a sweet ending to a great culinary journey. 

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