A local chef's favourite street food picks in Kolkata

From hole-in-the-wall chow mein joints to neighbourhood phuchka stalls, chef Auroni Mookerjee shares his top recommendations for street food in his hometown.

Once the political seat of the British East India Company, today Kolkata is a bustling metropolis that thrives on street food. Be it hot-off-the-wok kochuris (deep-fried breads served with potato curry), or phuckha (spicy stuffed crisp spheres), any visitor will be spoiled for choice.

"Kolkata is one of those cities where the chefs on the street almost always outcook the chefs in the brick-and-mortar kitchen," says Auroni Mookerjee, a chef and Kolkata native best known for his modern interpretations of Bengali food. "What's also rare is that there's something for everyone and at any price point."

Kolkatans take utmost pride in their culinary heritage that borrows from a buffet of cultures — the Mughals, Portuguese, British, Chinese, Armenians and Jewish settlers. Bengali cuisine as a whole is characterised by the subtle use of spices with a focus on seasonal eating and a zero-waste cooking approach.

"People here pride themselves on having daily eating rituals," explains Mookerjee. "The evening jolkhabar (light evening snack) is more of a culture… and is eaten on the way back from work. Sometimes you even pack some to share with everyone at home."

The snacking action peaks in October during Durga Puja, the 10-day autumn festival that celebrates the victory of Durga – Kolkata's favourite goddess – over the demon king Mahishasura. Though celebrated throughout India, Kolkata's Durga Puja festival remains the country's most spectacular, making the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. The streets are taken over by vibrant processions, but stalls selling phuchka, kochuris, kathi rolls and cutlets remain the main attraction at makeshift temples called pandals that are erected across the city.

To get a true flavour of Kolkata's iconic street eats, Mookerjee says that travellers should head into the city's many lanes, where local vendors have been serving delicious, unpretentious food for decades. And be prepared to queue – patiently.

Here are Mookerjee's top street foods in Kolkata.

Phuchka, crisp, hollow wholewheat flour and semolina orbs filled with spiced potatoes and chickpeas then dunked in tangy tamarind water right before you devour them in one large bite, is India's favourite street snack – and a Kolkata staple.

"It's rare to come across a bad phuchka," says Mookerjee, whose favourite phuchka seller is Dilip da (da is a term of endearment for elder brother) in South Kolkata. "Every street corner has its own vendor," says Mookerjee. "And whether you are in the north or south of the city, the offerings might change a little. Some will give you a slightly sweetish water, the others a bit spicy and sour. That's why I love Dilip da, because he gives you the best of both."

Dilip da has been selling phuchka for four decades and makes the shells from scratch (more than 1,000 daily). He uses an assortment of home-made masalas in the fillings and flavours the water with aromatic gondhoraj limes. His street cart is easy to spot, mainly because of the photos of celebrity chefs and movie stars on it. "The joy he takes in making the phuchka and educating you about his craft is probably why he is most famous," says Mookerjee. If visiting in winter or early spring, ask for a sukha (a dry shell with spices) that comes without water (or tentuler jol), with a drizzle of nolen gur (date palm jaggery).

Address: Hemanta Mukherjee Sarani, Ballygunge, Kolkata - 700029

Phone: +91-9231657931

Kolkatans love Chinese food; chilli chicken and chow mein mark birthday parties, family dos and even wedding buffets.

The city witnessed its earliest Chinese migration in the 18th Century. Tiretta in central Kolkata, and subsequently Tangra in the east of the city, brought in Hakka and Cantonese settlers, mainly for tanning and leather businesses. Over time, their fascinating cuisines became a part of the local food culture. 

It's in one of Tangra's narrow lanes where you'll find Ah Leung; Mookerjee's favourite chow mein in the city. "I kid you not, it really is a small eatery run out of a Calcutta-Chinese family's home garage," says Mookerjee, who swears by Ah Leung as an excellent hangover cure. "They serve only five dishes, but their signature is the unique chow mein – or chow as I like to call it – singara chow, which is a take on wonton mee noodles." Think succulent pork wontons and roast pork tossed with white pepper, spring onions and Ah Leung's secret sauce – melted pork lard. The handmade noodles take the whole dish to another level; Mookerjee suggests dropping by early in the morning to see them being made from scratch.

The name "singara chow" comes from the observation of some who thought wrapping wontons was just like folding singara, the local triangular pastry stuffed with spicy potatoes (called samosas in other parts of India) with variations across the country.

Address: 119, Matheswartala Road, Tangra, Kolkata - 700046

Phone: +91-9831138272

If one dish sums up Kolkata's breakfast culture, it's kochuri and chola-r dal. Across the city, you'll find shops selling these doughy breads that are deep-fried until fluffy (kochuri), often stuffed with winter peas and hing (asafoetida), served with mildly spiced potato curry or yellow lentils (chola-r dal).

Tucked away in a corner of Gariahat fish market, right at the entrance, is Gita mashi's stall. Mashi, in Bengali, translates to a maternal aunt; someone who cooks and feeds with lots of care. Gita mashi is no different; dressed in her everyday cotton sari and a smile on her face, "she rolls out the kochuris and fries them a la minute. After all, the best way to enjoy them is phulko – crunchy yet fluffy like clouds. It's the only way she knows, accompanied with a comforting, mildly sweet chola-r dal," says Mookerjee.

Gita mashi's petai porota (or paratha) is also the stuff of legends. The name petai, which literally means "beating", comes from its preparation technique. Once the goliath-sized flaky flatbread is cooked on a tawa (a frying pan or griddle), it's thrashed on a solid surface and beaten to reveal its delicate layers. It is then shredded into smaller pieces and sold by weight; served with a side of spicy ghugni (white chickpeas). "Try to get a mix of both – a little dal and ghugni – the sweet and spicy really come together," advises Mookerjee.

Address: Gariahat market, main entrance (next to the fish market), Kolkata - 700019

It is commonly believed that Nizam's, which started as a small eatery in 1932, is the birthplace of the original kathi roll. Skewer-roasted meat kebabs wrapped in flaky golden paratha layered with eggs, was initially meant to be a snack on the go for those in a hurry. "The kathi roll is another dish that champions the city's cuisine in the country and now around the world," says Mookerjee, emphasising its popularity both as an evening snack and after a night-out in town.

While Kolkata's most famous kathi roll spot continues to be Nizam's or Kusum Rolls on Park Street, Mookerjee recommends Tandoor Park, which has three outposts in the city. "I am a traditionalist," he explains. "Of late, many are jazzing up their game with mayo and peri peri dip, and of course ketchup. There are also cost-cutting measures, wherein some add capsicum or replace the kebab with minced meat."

But at Tandoor Park, the kathi rolls are strictly old-school; toppings are typically finely sliced onions, green chillies, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of chaat masala (a blend of spices used to flavour dishes). "If you ask for anything else, especially capsicum, they're very clear in pointing out that it's just not their way of rolling things," says Mookerjee. 

Address: 28/4 Gariahat Road (South), Kolkata - 700031

Phone: 9836370051

Website: http://www.tandoorpark.com/

Literally meaning "fried in oil", telebhaja is the snack of choice on rainy or cold winter evenings; especially when paired with muri (puffed rice).

Telebhaja, an assortment of fritters made using potatoes, aubergine or banana blossom, poppy seed and coconut, lentils or even Bombay duck fish, is the solution to evening hunger pangs. There are also some varieties influenced by Kolkata's earliest European settlers such as the dim-er devil (similar to Scotch eggs), kobiraji (chicken cutlets) and bhetki fry (an Indian sea bass or barramundi).

"My favourite telebhaja has to be the most delicate prawn cutlet from Allen Kitchen," says Mookerjee. "I love it because the batter is ethereal. Think tempura meets the best beer-battered fish and chips. And then there's the not-so secret ingredient, which they proudly announce on their menu – ghee!" 

Allen Kitchen is named after one Mr Allen, a Scotsman, but the eatery has been owned by the Saha family since the late 19th Century, who devised a myriad of fried snacks, mainly chicken and fish cutlets. Allen Kitchen's prawn cutlet is made using freshwater giant prawns (golda chingri) that are butterflied and seasoned with a marinade of ginger and garlic paste, green chillies and lime juice. Their unique feature? These special cutlets are fried in pure ghee, not oil.

Address: 40/1, Jatindra Mohan Avenue, Kolkata - 700006

Phone: +91-9836803572

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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