Speaking of Durga Puja and not of the
deliciousness of it, would be a torture on the whole lot of the digestive
system. As rightly said, Navaratra is fasting in the North India, you come to
East, the special ‘E’ adds to it. What is a Staycation without a “Feasting”?
The five day long festival commences from the Shasti (the 6th day)
itself.
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| Sweet and delicious Jalebi |
Off to the streets, it is not difficult
finding a place to eat. Almost every corner has a stall sprouted out of thin
air. Entering into a restaurant at this juncture, you find yourself doing a
quick gauging over the heads to find any unfilled seat. You would be lucky to
find one. However the street food stalls would never disappoint you.
The must-have snacks are the sweet-sour Fuchka
savoured with tamarind and lemon water, the egg-chicken rolls with chopped
onions and sliced cucumbers as fillers, the fish-fries with the drizzles of
mustard oil over it, the mouth-watering Moghlai Paratha, the crunchy Batata
Puri with the Bhujia sev and sugary syrup trickled all over it and many such
dishes. The Biriyani gets a special mention for the dinners. One may also opt
for other dishes like fried rice and tandoori rotis too.
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| Fuchka |
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| Batata Puri, courtesy:Streetdirectory |
But when it’s a staycation, all the
flavours are amplified at our home itself. All through, from shasti to dashami,
the Bengali homes whiffs with the scents of various foods. Noteworthy mentions
are the Luchi-chholar daal of Ashtami (8th day) and the Kosha
Mangsho (Mutton) of Navami (9th day). Ahh!!!!
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| Luchi and chholar daal |
Although the Dashami
(10th day) marks the end of this long awaited staycation but we end
it over sweet Rosogollas and Pantuas. After all, Durga is considered the
daughter of the place, how can we part with her without the sweets.
Read the Complete series
Sorry, I couldn't read it properly. Had a hard time controlling my taste buds...
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