It’s that time of the year when every Bengali is ready to let go of all inhibitions. The festival of Durga Puja is not just a religious celebration but an emotion for most, who prepare for it throughout the year.
With the pandemic putting a damper on this year’s ‘Pujo’ at the city’s Bengali capital, Chittaranjan Park, every non-resident Bengali is craving to get a taste of the ‘City of Joy’ at home.
DIVERSE FLAVOURS OF EASTERN INDIA
Throughout the year, corporate lawyer and home cook Sanhita Dasgupta Sensharma presents an array of dishes catering to a wide range of cuisines through her venture Gusto.
With her home kitchen in the Capital’s Bengali hub Chittaranjan Park, Sensharma—a native of Agartala, Tripura—usually cooks the feast by herself.
Every year, she creates a special menu for Durga Puja, which features traditional dishes from regions all over India, where the festival of Maa Durga is celebrated. ‘Anga-Banga-Kalinga’ is a menu that boasts of classic delicacies from Assam, Odisha, Nepal, and Jharkhand along with West Bengal.
COMFORT FOOD TO HELP RELIVE NOSTALGIA
A professional astrologer with a passion for cooking, Mousumi Moitra’s Bong Appétit serves authentic dishes to a number of homesick Bengalis residing in Delhi. Based in Vasant Kunj, Moitra launched her kitchen in early 2020.
She is helped by a domestic worker, who, she believes, will take her legacy forward. Prior to the pandemic, she would host visitors from other parts of India and the world, and provide them a wholesome cultural experience of Bengal.
Moitra’s entrepreneurial project now functions as a takeaway for Bengali food. Her menu includes a selection of lip-smacking dishes of which she recommends the Kosha Mangsho, Bhetki Paturi, Potol-er Dorma and Daab Chingri.