Yet another source of happiness that the coronavirus has taken from us is the delectable culinary offerings of a Durga Puja pandal. It’s a yearly tradition for our family to do the rounds of Delhi, gorging on all manner of munchies from the myriad and highly unique pandals that pop up for Pujo – and it definitely stings that we can’t do it this year. But safety first. What we can do however, is look at pictures of all the food we’re missing and feel terrible. Let us proceed.
1. Some lip-smacking ghugni to prepare the palate for what’s to come. Ohh mago maa!
2. Mutton chop, maacher chop, and veg chop. Aar ki chai?
3. The downright debaucherous luchi aar kosha maangsho. This hurts me more than it hurts you.
4. The traditional bhog – a veritable one-man feast that doesn’t just taste divine, but has the greatest memories attached to it.
5. The trademark Mughlai paratha – an absolute slammer of a stuffed paratha that’s unique to bongs and will knock you right on your paachha.
6. Sumptious aloo poshto is always a reliable bet.
7. Begun bhaja with luchi or bhaat or whatever else floats your throat.
8. Mishti doi because how else do you digest your food with flavour to boot?
9. Kolkata biryani with its signature aloo never fails to hit the spot.
10. Chicken Kabiraji cutlet – a snacker’s delight.
11. An extra helping of payesh apart from the one that comes with bhog. Uff, too tasty!
12. Muri ghonto, a fish-head pulao, isn’t always available, but it’s always enjoyable.
13. The Bengali-style kathi rolls – one of the most popular dishes. Bheeshon tasty!
14. Aloo bhaja, our quintessential side-dish. Goes well with literally everything.
15. Maacher paturi, a sinful mustard fish preparation where it’s wrapped in a banana leaf. Khoob bhalo!
Why did we do this to ourselves? What was the point of torturing our own tastebuds like this? Durga maa, amader ke bachao!