Every October, I am the first to feel a “slight nip in the air”, Pradeep rightly teases me saying, “Tu toh half-degree hi hai”. This autumn-winter while I sat on my balcony cooped up under a cozy sweatshirt with a large mug of tea, enjoying the cold morning breeze, all I could think of was how much I craved for a perfectly roasted Singara.
Sweaters and blankets come out when the cold finally arrives in November, but a true Bengali eternally softens at the thought of picnic and adda (tête-à-tête). The monkey-cap-conjuring chill brings a host of seasonal treats – both sweet and savory. We know winter is coming when the aroma of notun-gur (new jaggery) wafts across every sweet shop. Mothers put in every effort to make soulful preparations of pithey and nolen-gurer payesh at home.
Singara takes umbrage at the thought of being confused with its Punjabi cousin Samosa. The perfect winter companion to cha and adda. This deep-fried snack is definitely a dark horse in the community of all the savory items. Looking at its water-chestnut like body, you might anticipate the saltiness of fried flour, but you would certainly be surprised as they snowflake on your tongue. You are bound to marvel at the faint niff of ghee, combined with the treasure-vault of spice-tossed cauliflower, potato and pea. The crushed peanuts hidden in the mix bringing a soft crunch steals the show making a wild card entry. Singaras are no good unless consumed freshly hot off the kadai and you can rest assured that the flavors explode faster than debates on Republic TV.
The sheet kal (winters) in Kolkata is unquestionably a tab bit richer with the aroma of koraishuti (fresh peas), pureed and packed away inside the winter version of fried flatbread or kochuri. I fondly recollect eating up half the peas while mamma shelled the pods. The grind of pestle, the hiss of dough in hot oil stand out distinctly. Cumin, dried red chilli and other roasted masalas with ginger and asafetida secretly sharpen the flavors. This becomes the winter star at most of the mishit r dokaan (sweet shop) wishfully paired with notun-alu r dum. The seasonal delicacy of baby potatoes dunked in thick spicy-sweet gravy is inscrutable. If for some reason, potatoes are not your thing, kochuri can be folded and used to scoop up a mouthful of Cholar daal, a festive lentil dish of Bengal gram cooked to perfection with grated coconut and ghee. No amount of mathematics can explain the number of permutations possible with Koraishutir kochuri; it tastes divine solo as well. I remember standing at the kitchen entrance waiting for mamma to take the hot kochuri out of the kadai, adda with mom and kochuri pair well too.
Dark and slow dripping, date palm jaggery emerges every winter to alter the year-long favorites, Sondesh and Roshogolla. The jaggery infuses and elevates the flavor with its sweet and half-there smokiness; very true of Jolbhora, the sandesh (dessert which is primarily made from milk) designed to conceal nolen gur in its rather fat belly. Roshogolla competing at par with the silky brown syrup clinging to the sponge balls. Joynagorer moa, the jaggery, and cardamom twined puffed rice balls from Jaynagar is a total showstopper. There are new kids on the block claiming stakes of the fragrant jaggery; high-budget hipsters like nolen gur ice cream and nolen gur souffle. Whatever may be the shape and size, nolen gur unraveling in your mouth in a bite is an ultimate food-porn.
No winter or Christmas is complete without feasting on freshly baked Plum cakes. As a kid, I marveled at the decorations on Park Street, now Mother Teresa Sarani, every time Mamma and Baba took me around Christmas and New Years. The year-long animated lanes adorned to perfection, come to life with a zing during winters. Plum cakes are available in abundance at every confectionery; however, I have always been privileged with the best of the best. Baba used to pick up the loaded plum cakes on his way back from work, either from Esplanade or New Market. Nahoums’ or Flury’s to the rescue! Flury’s, at the winter epicenter of the city, offers a decadent rum-soaked variant with an abundance of cashews and candied fruits. Great Eastern, now acquired by The Lalit was a renowned bakery two decades back and was perennially filled with the heady scent of plum cakes.
Winters in the city of joy is all about Komlalebu (oranges) and carnival. The city meddles in the Que Sera Sera mode along with the sunny picnics and komlalebu are a must-have. I am really hoping you have contracted the cheer by now… so go and dig in!
Recommendations:
Nahoum's - A 100-year-old Jewish bakery takes credit for summoning Christmas nostalgia for generations
Flury's - One of the most known confectioners in Calcutta offering a plethora of sweet and savory treats
Banchharam's, Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick, Sen Mahasay - Coveted sweet shops indulging in spreading sweetness for generations. Online orders are available too.
Oh! Calcutta, 6 Ballygunge Place , Esplanade and Bhojohori Manna (Bengaluru edit) - Please visit to curb the craving for lip-smacking Bengali cuisine