To me, a roast lamb is the epitome of a family roast dinner. Sunday dinners at my parents’ and grandparents’ meant the aroma of a roast lamb or hogget, which always came with rich gravy made from the pan drippings.
This is a popular morning street food that people from all walks of life eat, be they taxi or delivery drivers about to start their shifts, students, office workers or tourists. There are many variations of the history of this dish, but as it is very similar to French toast, many say it dates to colonial times.
West Bengal is famous for its paddy fields and rice cultivation. Rice is a staple in Kolkata and there are so many different varieties. Basmati rice is most commonly known, but we tend to use different kinds for different dishes. In this recipe we use chirey or chira, which is parboiled rice that has been pounded flat and dried – you may find this sold as ‘rice flakes’ or under any of the following names: chir, chirey, poha, powa or pawa.
Some say this is the Bengali version of baba ganoush. The dish is smoky and little spicy, and also pungent and crunchy with the onions.
This has to be one of my favourite vegetarian dishes of all time. It is a Satvic recipe (no garlic or onions are used in it), so is a popular dish for religious festivities. It does require patience to make it, as it’s a long process with two stages of cooking, but the results are so worth it. This dish was usually made when my parents had invited guests for dinner and we would look forward to the leftovers the next day, when the lentil cakes had absorbed more of the gravy.
