On a khai-khai trail: Find these Bengali festive specialties in the city

Not just fish Bengalis take all of their food seriously Influenced by the length and breadth of the landrsquos boroughs and far beyond no celebration in the community is complete without a multicourse meal So even after a round of modest batas crunchy fritters meaty pilafs and rich curries we shake up the elbowing contents to make room for mishtiNaturally our biggest festival of homecoming throws a feast to daughter Durga and her four children With only five days to be cosseted by her tribe she assents to such overdone merrymaking And as gregarious gastronomes we pick five adda essentials from the cuisineThe outer crustStreetstyle rolls Pics Courtesyhabudubu_official kitchentalesbysommaghosh thebonghneshel spicesandfriends ushri_homechefWrapped in deepfried crunchy parathas and loaded with chunky mutton pieces rolls kickstart playful banter For young sweethearts conversations may strike easy over this dish Try kathi rolls at a Bandra pujo stall by Nandini Deb and Nirban GoswamiON October 1 to October 4AT Notunpalli Sarbojonin Durgotsab Bandra WestLOG ON TO habudubu_officialCALL 9321538773ALSO TRY Kolkata Konnection Oshiwara Kusum Rolls Malad WestNo small fryNandini Debrsquos fish fryCall it fish batter or butter fry what matters is the taste The kind of batter fry we recommend uses a thick bhetki fillet no basa please itrsquos juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside Dunk it in kasundi for that piquant kickRohinirsquos mutton keema rolls and chopsON October 1 to 5 No deliveries on October 3LOG ON TO thebonghneshelALSO TRY habudubu_official Oh Calcutta Andheri West spices andfriendsFor the love of alooThat biryani is love is undebatable But an earthen pot of biryani with indulgent ingredients can fall short without a bulky piece of potato and an egg These additions are over and above the succulent chicken and mutton pieces we already expect Find your fix for all worldly woes in home chef Ushri Gurujirsquos slowcooked biryaniON October 1 to October 5LOG ON TO ushri_homechef call 9967468014ALSO TRY thebonghneshel Hanglarsquos PowaiAfter two years a group of Ben gali friends meet over biryani right A devotee performs dhunuchi naach after Sandhya AartiSweet endingsSince we must end things on a sweet note Thanebased home chef Rohini Bhowmick is bringing back the traditional Bengali sweets lobongo latika and gurrsquoer sandesh Lobongo latika particularly piques our interest as deepfried syrupy sweets are rare finds on most menusON September 30 4 pm to 10 pmAT Thane Mahanagarpalika MaidanLOG ON TO spicesandfriendsRohini Bhowmickrsquos lobongo latika and gurrsquoer sandeshA pot of goldRobibarer mangsher jhol Basanti polau and Kosha mangshoLunch mdash as a meal mdash holds the day together as itrsquos often followed by a refreshing nap Itrsquos therefore important to have sleepinducing food thispujoseason A plateful of mishti polau or basanti polau with a generous helping of kosha mangsho can do the trick Itrsquos funny how we gossip and even argue over delicious foodON October 1 and October 2LOG ON TO kitchentalesbysommaghosh CALL 9820462881ALSO TRY Jamai Shoshthi Andheri EastThe nomeat counterUshri Gurujirsquos food stall at Mira Roadrsquos Agragami Durgotsav will have phuchka alu kabli ghugni and vegetable chops ldquoYou are never too old or too full for phuchkasrdquo she says Her stall focuses on presenting vegetarian delights that Bengalis ace with equal easeON October 1 and October 2TIME 7 pm onwardsCALL 9967468014FATAFATI MOJA IN MUMBAI1 Bengali folk band Bhoomi will entertain the city crowd at Bombay Durgabari Samiti Tardeo on Shashti October 1 845 pm onwards2 The members of Notunpalli Sarbojonin Durgotsab will celebrate the committeersquos 50th year There will be a lively dhunuchi dance on Navami October 4 745 pm onwards3 Oshiwararsquos Ananda Utsav Durga Puja a celebration run by women only will find young children performing Palashir Judhher Pala a drama directed by Sreyasi Bandyopadhyay on Ashtami October 3 at 8 pm