Food Emblems that Define a City - Kolkata Egg Roll
Kolkata is where home and heart both are, Gunter Grass had a love hate relationship with Kolkata and Dominique LaPierre labelled it as 'City of Joy' and it truly is a joy to be home ensconced in the warm welcome of family and friends. Here, the people are harried yet politically aware with a vague sense of dissatisfaction around them, phrases like "eyi chole jachche" (it's going on) or "benche aachi" (I am alive) are common responses when asked "How are you?" I have always been saying that France resembles Bengal and before I could articulate that thought, it was written by someone else, anyway people like to complain about the politics, weather, transport, rising prices and whatever else is worth complaining about. The city is culturally aware, progressive in thoughts and actions, has an exuberant expression of art and creativity during festivals, it has a street dedicated to book shops and a road dedicated to worship houses of almost all major religions in the world and a buzzing food scene.
Maybe I am biased, I think food tastes the best here, be it kachori torkari, momos, egg rolls, egg devils, chops, chowmein, moglai porota or kobiraji cutlet, anything off the street or from a shack or a eatery will taste good. Jhal muri, phuchka, chur mur, tele bhaja, ghugni or the more new age sandwiches and pizzas, everything tastes good and has a soul. People in Kolkata genuinely love their food and this is expressed in the way it is cooked. The city is also an amalgamation of many communities which have added to the varied cuisines available here - the Mughals, Parsis, Jews, Armenians, Chineese, British, on a lesser scale, Dutch, French, Portuguese and closer home Gujaratis, Marwaris, Tamilians, Biharis and Punjabis which makes it a cauldron of flavors.
Continuing the exploration of a specific snack which defines this city, it's a bit hard to define one for Kolkata as the variety of street snacks is immense. If I had to select just one, it would definitely be The Egg Roll - I would like to reiterate that its hard to find a vegetarian Bengali and 'Gluten Free' and 'Veganism' are only for the elitist few. The normal Kolkatan enjoys their fried food, carbohydrates and sugary treats without an ounce of guilt. It is not exactly a quick snack, it is indulgent, rich, simple and yet flavorful - one must savor bite by bite and have a mental chatter - perhaps there should be more green chilly? It makes one think, analyze, mull and criticize if not up to expectations. Its almost an intellectual pursuit!
The egg roll fits the 'grab and go' parameter well and easy on the pocket, a walk to the nearby market and one can hear the clanging spatulas on a large griddle and the smell of frying eggs and flat bread which is a smell I only associate with Kolkata. The stalls open only in the evening for this particular snack (there may be a few exceptions) to feed the hungry hordes returning from work or school or college or somewhere. Typically dinner is quite late so this is a perfect fit to quell hunger pangs till dinner is served. One can eat it while walking, while on a rickshaw or standing on the street while watching politically loaded street plays or commentaries or having a deep conversations about politics or football. The roll is tightly packed in two layers of white paper to stop the onions and sauces spilling out and also serves to absorb the oil, the paper is peeled away before every bite - at times one could chew some of it in haste.
A prefect egg roll is a matter of opinion, my favorite is where the porota is flaky, crisp and low on oil and the egg is fried till it is fluffy and slightly crisp on edges and the filling is with sliced onions which have been marinating in lemon juice and a dash of 'beet noon', kasundi and tomato sauce and this must be consumed at once even at the cost of a burnt oral cavity, cold is like chewing rubber...
There are again a thousand variations of this snack but the best are available at Campari in Gariahat and then Kusum on Park Street comes a far second, at third position were Tutu's Snacks and Bazeegar in Jadavpur but sadly they are now committed to history and I mourn them almost every day I am in Kolkata as these were really exceptional eateries, Tutu has fed us since I was a kid and catered for many family occasions.
As a footnote I must add, that there are really a large number of sweet shops in Kolkata and I have seen many people seeking refuge from the vagaries of life in a sweet shop - people come and sit for a while, wan and depleted, the fan relentlessly whirs on top, a milky sweet smell is all pervasive and people dig into their little treats and immerse themselves in a few moments of heaven before they return to reality and life.
Being away from home, I do miss having a good egg roll every now and then, all my experimentations with the local Bengali eateries have failed miserably and now I have taken to making them myself if the temptation takes hold of me, this wonderful YouTube channel called Bongeats has been a lifesaver. Next time if you are in Kolkata do eat at least ten egg / chicken / mutton rolls from ten different places and then you will be quite an expert on this subject!
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