BackThe best of Durga Puja street food
Kolkata's favourite roadside eats and where to get them this festive season
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Talk about Kolkata’s legendary chop-cutlet and the conversation is frequently limited to the northern part of the city: Mitra Cafe, Dilkhusha Cabin and Allen Kitchen. However, south Kolkata isn’t doing too badly at all in putting up a challenge. In the spirit of next week’s festivities, a round-up of the icons and the come (relatively) latelies.
Fowl/chicken cutlet
Chicken breaded and deep-fried
Classic: Chacha’s Hotel
The 140-year-old eatery might have moved across the street from its original location, but the taste of its fowl cutlets hasn’t changed. The large disc-shaped cutlets are made with finely minced chicken in a thin, crisp, breadcrumb coating. Never call it chicken though, it’s always “fowl".
42, Bidhan Sarani, Maniktala (30859092). Special Fowl Cutlet, ₹ 60.
Challenger: Campari
Unlike Chacha’s, the chicken cutlet here uses a thick breast fillet, which is spiced, breaded and deep-fried. The meat is tender and juicy, and the crust spicy and delicious. It is served with a potent kasundi (mustard sauce) and julienned cucumbers and onions.
155B, Rash Behari Avenue, Gariahat (9836912790). Chicken cutlet, ₹ 50.
Fish Fry
Crumb-coated and deep-fried bhetki fillet served with kasundi. Who needs chips?
Classic: Malancha
One of the oldest eateries in Hatibagan, Adi Malancha’s (and its split-away outlet Naba Malancha’s) pure bhetki fries continue to be a hot favourite. Malancha takes pride in the quality of its fish, the crust is crunchy and spicy, and the fish fry is served with the obligatory kasundi.
Adi Malancha, near Hatibagan Crossing. Fish fry, ₹ 45.
Challenger: Apanjan
This nondescript takeaway joint is thronged by patrons every evening. Notwithstanding the array of eatables, their fish fry steals the show. Shaped into almost perfect rectangles, the chunky fillet of fresh bhetki, deliciously moist and flaky, comes in a crisp, spiced crust of breadcrumbs.
50B, Sadananda Road, Kalighat (9836561579). Fish fry, ₹ 80.
Kabiraji
Fillet of fish or meat in an egg mesh
Classic: Dilkhusha Cabin
The century-old Dilkhusha Cabin might have dismantled its eponymous cabins, but their signature deep-fried delights continue to pull crowds. The kabiraji is available in fish, mutton, chicken and prawn, but the spiced mutton in a crisp greasy coating of beaten eggs—three-fourths the size of a dinner plate—is the universal favourite. Follow it up with a glass of chilled Daab-er shorbot at nearby Paramount, another heritage destination.
88, MG Road, near College Street Crossing (2417375). Kabirajis, starting from ₹ 80.
Challenger: Das Cabin
This inconspicuous little eatery, near the Gariahat crossing, is shabby and poorly lit, with cheap blue wall-paint and rickety furniture. But amid the regular Cabin fare (fish fry, chop, cutlet and Mughlai paratha), the meaty chicken kabiraji, with a crisp egg coating, stands out.
17, Ballygunge Gardens, near Gariahat flyover (9163905045). Chicken kabiraji, ₹ 65.
Dimer Devil
A desi rendition of scotch eggs, inspired by the nargisi kofta
Classic: Niranjan Agar
The mutton cutlet and fish fry have their fans but the dimer devil is in a class by itself. Each of these enormous, egg-shaped croquettes comprises a whole duck egg in a sweet-spicy minced mutton stuffing dipped in batter, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Too good to stop at one, too filling to go for another.
239/A, Chittaranjan Avenue (8017625110). Dimer devil, ₹ 37 a piece.
Challenger: 6 Ballygunge Place
While not quite in the same category as roadside eateries, this upmarket restaurant does absolute justice to this street classic. A whole duck egg wrapped in a spicy minced lamb coating, crumbed and fried, the dimer devil here is a hot favourite.
6, Ballygunge Place (24603922). Hansher Dimer Devil, ₹ 195 a plate.
Mochar Chop
Deep-fried banana blossom croquettes
Classic: Kalika
For 50-odd years, Kalika has doubled up as Chop Heaven. The slightly sweet and subtly spiced mochar chop beautifully retains the unique flavour and texture of the banana flower and is the first item to sell out.
29, Surya Sen Street, College Square, Bow Bazaar. Mochar chop, ₹ 10.
Challenger: Sholoana Bangali
None of the numerous telebhaja (fritters) shops in south Kolkata serve a decent mochar chop but this restaurant does a deliciously crunchy version. The slightly sweet and subtly spiced stuffing is made with mashed banana florets, grated coconut, chopped raisins and peanuts, and served with typical Bengali-style potato sticks or jhuri aloo bhaja and tomato sauce.
Techno Tower, 14C/ 114B, Prince Anwar Shah Road (9051301111). Two mochar chops, ₹ 50.
Prawn Cutlet
Batter or crumb-fried prawns crafted into cutlets
Classic: Allen Kitchen
One of the oldest eateries in Kolkata, Allen Kitchen serves up soft, buttery prawn cutlets: whole butterflied tiger prawns in a soft, fluffy chickpea flour coating, fried in pure ghee and served with a salad, lime wedges and kasundi. Not a dish for weight-watchers.
40/1, Jatindra Mohan Avenue Road, Girish Park, Shyam Bazar (9903098700). Prawn cutlet, ₹ 80.
Challenger: Bijoli Grill
About the only place that does a decent prawn cutlet in south Kolkata, Bijoli Grill crafts this deliciousness from a single jumbo prawn, the feted golda chingri, coated with breadcrumbs and fried until a delicious golden.
38, SP Mukherjee Road, near Bhawanipur police station, Bhawanipur (30990595). Prawn cutlets, ₹ 160.
Mangsher Chop
Minced mutton croquette, crumb-coated and deep-fried
Classic: Mitra Cafe
Their diamond fish fry and kabiraji cutlets are legendary but Mitra Cafe also makes a mean mangsher chop, an enormous ball of minced meat, spicy with a hint of sweet, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried. For the offal-aficionado, their signature brain chop is also worth a shot.
47, Jatindra Mohan Avenue, near Shobha Bazar Metro station (8420161111). Mutton chop, ₹ 25.
Challenger: Santa’s Fantasea
A restaurant serving tribal cuisines from across the country, they call these deliciously spiced, crusty, flattened meatballs laal gosht, a tribal speciality from Andhra Pradesh. We’ll take mangshor chop by any other name when they’re as delicious as these are. The spicy kick from the Andhra chillies in these flavour-packed meatballs (the red colour too comes from these) is complemented by the subtly spiced green sauce accompanying it.
9, Ballygunge Terrace, near Anjali Jewellers, Golpark (9836561579).Three meatballs, ₹ 150.
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