Bangalir Bhuribhoj (a big fat Bengali meal)

Just past silkboard, in one of the by-lanes, is situated the home of a lovely couple.

Greeted at the gate with a huge smile, and a happy face; our beautiful host for the afternoon, Sonali brought us up the stairs. They were lined with earthen pots carrying flowering plants and herbs like basil, mint,lemon and many more.

Shom greeted us at entrance of their home on the second floor, to guide us straight into a cosy afternoon. The drapes that hung loosely against the walls, were tactfully picked up to complement the art that was displayed through the house.

As we prepared to begin our meal, Sonali gave us an insight into the differences between the styles of cooking that varied between the East and West of Bengal. Quite fascinating! While one focused more on the spice, the other had typical ingredients more specific to their style of cooking.

You know that being Bengali means having distinctive flavour; not just in food, but in art and culture as well. There were posters, and paintings that were all around, and a few pieces of artefacts tastefully brought in from different parts of the world.

The huge dining table that sat up on an elevated area, created an atmosphere that showed us that food was certainly the highlight here. 

An array of serving bowls had hot food waiting for us.
One would wonder if their appetite were enough, to do justice to what's put forth.

The host was quite specific about how we went through our meal. Kind and compassionate, her love for food shone through.


First Course:

We were to relish the luchis with aloo dum and baigun bhaja . I've of course had them earlier, but this has just beaten those straight out! I'd say that if you impress me with veg food, then you really impress me!

The aloo dum was delectable It had a semi gravy, and was laden with flavour. The baby potatoes were kept whole; as should be, in an aloo dum. Dressed with a luxuriously creamy coating and lightly spiced, the potatoes certainly uplifted the first course of the meal

The baigun bhaja was soft, and rolled mercifully in spices that were balanced just right. It added character to the softness of the insides of the eggplant. Fried perfectly well, they really were a great combination with the aloo and luchi. I would have had more; but this was just the beginning... I had to move to the heroes of the meal.

Second course:

Next in line were the accompaniments with rice.

Rice is important to bengalis, as is to south Indians. The rice was cooked perfectly, with the grains harmoniously in sync with each other. A rice lovers heaven!

"Moong dal macher matha diye" - Lentils cooked with Rohu fish head. At first that sounded completely bizarre to me. Firstly, fish head. Secondly, in dal? Okay, yes, that's an interesting one. I urge you to try it and then conclude; based on your taste buds.

It's a unique taste for sure. And certainly authentic to their cuisine. Shonali says that's its hard for her to cook anything vegetarian. She always ends up adding meat to bring in flavour (although if you ask me, she doesn't have to worry. The first course was proof enough)

The moong dal was interestingly brought in from Calcutta, as the type isn't available here in Bangalore.

The fish curry was a typical Bengali style fish curry, "Katla Kalia". The ground spices brought out distinct flavours and warmly cuddled the fish into the tomato based curry.

The "Kasha Mangsho" was Mutton done right! I mean, I generally prefer not to eat mutton. But if it is made like this, then there's hardly anyone who can resist. The meat was chosen well by Shom (who apparently spends a lot of time selecting the meat) and was cooked perfectly well by Shonali. The pieces had well soaked in the flavours of the gravy, and would just fall off the bone! The spicy curry went very well with the rice, and I couldn't resist having another round of it with the Luchis.

We ended the meal with the "Aam er Tok" , Kairi mangoes done refreshingly sweet and sour. A lovely note to end the meal, the last being a glass of Aam ras.

A huge meal to fit into our appetite!

My verdict : Must go. Must do.

A home meal with a home chef. This is the closest you will ever get to knowing someone's food and culture.

Tip: Skip breakfast. You can thank me later.

Authenticook is started by a bunch of young crazy travelers and nature lovers. They say that some of their best travel experiences have been when they have had an opportunity to interact with the locals and eat a meal with them.

That is something I totally stand by; I've had the best experiences during one on one interactions with the locals!

They go on to say that It’s the food, the history, the legacy that captivates you. Spending a couple of hours eating the regional cuisine, learning about the culture is what makes the journey exciting!

Authenticook believes that food is a religion that transcends boundaries, regions and prejudices.

Amen to that! Food is my religion too.


You can book your meal with any of the cuisines that interest you, on authenticook.com. They have an array of choices.


Wishing you luck to get through the day. (you're going to be reeeeally tempted! )

*looks for something to munch on*


Picture credit (food) : @gauravrajaram on instagram 
Blog : gaav.me