The Bong connection

Brown Sahib is a must-visit for a taste of Kolkata. Especially during the Pujo month to savour their special menu

Any time is good time to eat a good Bengali meal. For economic migrants like me, who have to stay away from the City of Joy, for reasons, well, economic, specialty Bengali restaurants like the Brown sahib are life-savers.u00a0 But enjoying a good meal during pujo is a tad -- if not more -- special.

Tradition meets mordenity
And if you want to avoid the traffic jams and the pandal crowd, then the pujo maha bhog platter at Brown Sahib is the best way to taste the authentic flavour of the Bengali festival. Served in utensils made from red mud, the platter is an epitome of tradition meeting modernity. Everything is served at once -- which translates into many, many bowls! -- but the correct way of following the courses goes something like this.

Oh! those luchis
Begin with the luchi (puffed bread) and the khosha chorchori (characteristically spiced potato, bottle gourd and cauliflower peels, quintessential to any pujo meal) and hing diye alor dum (spicy baby potatoes with asafoetida).

Then, clear the palate with some papad (fired, not roasted) and alubokhara chutney (sweet relish prepared with pitted prunes) and savour the delicately prepared chingri macher paturi (river prawns marinated with coconut and mustard and steamed in banana leaves).

The real deal
For the main course, divide the ghee bhat (rice flavoured with ghee) in three parts. Have the first one with the narkel diye cholar dal (split-pea lentils with coconut), the second one with the maangshor gota moshla (mutton in white gravy and whole spices), and the third with the lebu Ilish (steamed hilsa with lemon flavour and chef's seasoning).

That would be a lot of food, but do try the darbesh (sweeatmeats especially prepared during pujo), narkeler naru (jaggery sweetened coconut balls) and of course, the payesh (traditional rice pudding). Finish off with a plain pan, before or after you go pandal-hopping. The customary burp is forgiven, though the brown sahibs of yore would have definitely raised their eyebrows!u00a0u00a0