Oh! Calcutta-Cookbook

Anjan Chatterjee

Description

Calcutta has always been Bengal's kitchen. This is the city where the distinctive and subtle cuisine of Bengal has met and danced with culinary influences from all over the world, brought in by wave after wave of colonizing rulers. Calcutta's cuisine has been enriched by cooking methods, styles, ingredients and tastes from countries as far apart as China and Britain, from cultures as dissimilar as Mughal and Dutch, and cooking styles as varied as Avadhi and Syrian. The restaurant Oh! Calcutta captures this unique cuisine, serving flavours and tastes per-fected over generations. With the signature recipes in this book, you can recreate these unforgettable dishes in your own kitchen and enjoy the delicious legacy of a city that keeps reinventing itself.

Sujets

• Cooking

Informations

• Publié par: Random House Publishers India Pvt. Ltd.
• Date de parution: 02 août 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9788184004564
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Published by Random House India in 2013
Copyright Anjan Chatterjee 2013
Random House Publishers India Private Limited Windsor IT Park, 7th Floor, Tower-B A-1, Sector-125, Noida-201301, UP
Random House Group Limited 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SW1V 2SA United Kingdom
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author s and publisher s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
EPUB ISBN 9788184004564
To those in love with the magic of Calcutta s many cuisines, and to those still waiting to discover it
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
COOKING BASICS
TIDBITS/KHUSHIS
STARTERS
MAIN COURSE
BHAPA (STEAMED SPECIALITIES)
RICE AND ACCOMPANIMENTS
DESSERTS
PUJA MEAL
LIST OF RECIPES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT OH! CALCUTTA
A NOTE ON THE PHOTOGRAPHER
A NOTE ON THE FOOD STYLIST
Writer s building
INTRODUCTION
CALCUTTANS HAVE AN ODD RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD.
On the one hand they want to share the pleasure of their exquisite cuisine with the whole world, so that it is recognized for the masterpiece it is. On the other hand, they worry that if the dishes be too popular , it would be hybridized as in so many other cuisines of the world.
I was born and brought up a true Bengali and I know what it means to be a purist. But in my years on the streets and canteens and dining halls of Kolkata, I have learnt an important lesson - Bengal s cuisine is so extraordinary not because Bengalis are purists but because they are assimilators and innovators.
This city I love so much was once the centre of trade and political power, and a melting pot of cultures. Here Syrian traders, East India officers, exiled nawabs and French missionaries set up camp. Whatever they took away from Kolkata, what they left behind was infinitely more valuable - the rich legacies of their distinctive cuisines. This complex, nuanced heritage of cultures and tastes flourishes to this day.
From the Mughals who governed Bengal for around 500 years after the end of the Delhi Sultanate came rich meat-based dishes artfully and generously spiced. The last Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, who was exiled to the outskirts of Kolkata, brought with him a battalion of bawarchis (cooks), masalchis (spice mixers), and khansamas (stewards). After his death, these workers who had cooked for the king and fed him, intermingled with the local people and began their own food carts and restaurants.
Their slight alterations to the Mughlai cuisine - such as replacing the much-used beef with mutton endure to this day. The influences came alive in dishes as subtle and rich as the Mutton Rezala, whose recipe was handed down by the descendants of the nawab s chefs who settled around Chitpur.

The British Raj left an indelible imprint on Bengal s way of eating. Not only did baking become the latest addition to Bengali culture but so also did the consumption of tea. Some of my cherished childhood memories feature puff pastries, chops, cutlets and tea.
Few know that Kolkata (then Calcutta) used to be the original capital of the British India. Of the exodus of non-Bengali communities this brought to the city, the most notable were surely the Marwaris, whose sweet shops and ghee-cooked savories still influence vendors and restaurateurs.
The most durable and adaptive of Bengal s other cultures, must surely be its massive population of Chinese, who have somehow absorbed the best of Bengal without abandoning their original Cantonese identity. The cuisines and ingredients they introduced include aji no moto, sweet corn, mushrooms, and pork. Quick on the heels of the Chinese came the Tibetans, once the former country had annexed the latter. The Tibetans introduced momos , a type of dumpling and thukpa , a hearty noodle soup which eventually was Indianized with the addition of chillies and spices.
The marriage of Chinese to Indian cuisine has led to innovative hits such as like chilli chow mein, chilli chicken and the uniquely Calcuttan Chicken Manchurian. Indian-Chinese, almost a new cuisine unto itself, spread like wildfire, acquiring fans all across the country and leading to a proliferation of vendor carts serving sidewalk Chinese food.


The rich culinary history has led to a city where completely distinct cuisines sit happily next to each other, each unique and yet each Bengali. Amish and niramish (Bengali vegetarian and non-vegetarian) food jostles happily next to nawabi Mughlai offerings. Continental banquets serve entr es such as Chicken la Kiev a stone s throw from Chinese restaurants that have been run by the same Cantonese families for generations. Mary Memshahib s Fish Fingers and the Indian Railway Mutton Curry come alive straight from the annals of Anglo-Indian Calcutta, a time when Bow Bazar reverberated with love songs and trains chugged in and out of railway stations like clockwork. In the railway refreshment rooms, the lightly spiced mutton curry was a staple of tired engineers yearning for a taste of home away from home.
My own personal favourites include Radhu Babu s nonpareil crispy fish fries in Lake Market, Dwarik Ghosh s Bengali Thali meal, and the Mughlai Parotha from Basanta-r Cabin. Nothing starts my morning better than luchi tarkari on Beadon Street, and if you are ever in North Calcutta s Shimla Street you cannot but try out the Fish Kochuri there.
Other landmarks on Kolkata s culinary map include Kalika s delicious chops, as much a landmark as the Kalika cinema theatre which originally lent its name to the delicacy; Chitpur s aromatic Royal-er Biryani; the heart-melting Golbarir Mangsho at Shyam Bazar crossing; Khidirpur s delectable Kabiraji Cutlet; and the steaming momos of Tirretti Bazar.
What makes Bengali cuisine so unforgettable and - different?
A part of the answer must be in uncommon ingredients such as banana flower, the sharp tastes of mustard oil or kashundi, and the thrilling tang of Bengal s king of limes, the Gondhoraj lebu. Look beneath the surface of royal dishes like Mochar Ghonto (banana flowers with poppy seeds) or Aam Achar Ilish (hilsa cooked with pickled mangoes in pumpkin leaves) and you might be surprised to find a few humble ingredients.
Vegetable parts that might otherwise be thrown away such as the soft peels of a young gourd or the leaves of pumpkin are turned into celebrated dishes. Even the humble mashed potato balls - Alu Bhatte - at the beginning of a meal can be a burst of flavours, pungent with mustard oil and raw onion, but melting in the mouth upon first bite.
When I started the restaurant Oh! Calcutta, I wanted to share my own romance with my birth-state s cuisine to the tables of India, by presenting classic dishes as they have been made historically. I never dreamed that the dishes I have cooked for the pleasure of so many at home and in my restaurants would one day become a heritage cookbook such as this. All I can say is that serving my city s glorious cuisines to Indian diners has taught me one thing - there is a little bit of Kolkata in everyone.
And it takes nothing more than a simple Bengali meal to bring it out.
Fishermen on the banks of the Ganges
COOKING BASICS
INGREDIENTS
THERE ARE A FEW BASIC BUT ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS OF
Bengali cuisine that you need to be familiar with and buy before you start cooking. These are used in most dishes and lend them a distinctive flavour. In this section, we ll go through the most important ones and some essential cooking techniques that will ensure a smooth experience in the kitchen.
PAANCH PHORON
The distinct aroma of Bengali cuisine is primarily due to the blend of spices known as paanch phoron. Paanch means five and phoron means flavour , hence the common translation Bengali Five Spice. The spices are fried in oil till they pop; the frying releases strong aromas and the unique flavours of the spices.
TO MAKE 100 GM OF PAANCH PHORON
20 gm cumin seeds
20 gm fennel seeds
20 gm fenugreek seeds
20 gm nigella seeds
20 gm mustard seeds

Mix and store it in an airtight jar.
TO MAKE PAANCH PHORON POWDER

On a low flame, broil all the ingredients mentioned under paanch phoron in a heavy vessel till it starts emitting its aroma. Make sure that it doesn t get burnt.

Remove and blend it into a powder. Store it in an airtight jar.

GARAM MASALA
Garam means warm and masala means a blend of spices , and it couldn t be truer to its meaning. This aromatic and indispensible spice blend infuses food with a beautiful and rich flavour. It is also known to increase the body s temperature.
Even though you might be tempted to buy readymade garam masala powder from the store to reduce effort, you should know that there is no equivalent to the one made at home.
TO MAKE 100 GM GARAM MASALA POWDER
5 gm cloves
40 gm green cardamom
55 gm cinnamon

Blend the above mixture and store it an airtight jar.
TO PREPARE 100 GM OF WHOLE GARAM MASALA
12-15 bay leaves
35 gm small cardamom
25 gm cinnamon
10 gm cloves
10 gm big cardamom
15 gm mace
piece nutmeg

Mix the above ingredients and store it.
MUSTARD OR SHORSHE
This gorgeous summer yellow spice creeps into every aspect of Bengali cuisine. Shorshe s unmistakable tang and zing complements fish dishes as well as it does its eggplants. And there s no substitute to freshly ground mustard paste. So strong is its aroma that you can catch it from quite a distance.
TO MAKE 100 GM MUSTARD PASTE
5 gm green chilies
10 gm sugar
5 gm salt
50 gm black mustard
30 gm yellow mustard

Mix all the above ingredients and soak in water for 1 hour. Blend to a fine paste. Sto